BEST PIEROGIES RECIPES

Steps:

• Place the sour cream in a large bowl, and mix in flour to make a dough. Roll the dough out on a floured surface about 1/16 inch thick, and cut rounds about 3 1/2 inches across using a cookie cutter or a glass. Re-roll the unused dough to make more rounds, up to 4 times -- after that, it gets hard to work with.
• Place about 1 teaspoon of mashed potatoes in the center of each dough round, fold over into a half-moon shape, and press and seal the edges with a fork. Set the filled pierogies aside under a towel to prevent drying.
• Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat, and cook and stir the onions until translucent, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove the cooked onions and set aside, leaving butter in the skillet.
• Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil, and carefully drop a few filled pierogies at a time into the boiling water. After they float to the surface, allow them to gently boil for about 4 minutes.
• Re-heat the butter in the skillet over medium heat. Gently scoop the pierogies out of the water (they break easily) and place them in the skillet to brown on the bottom, about 3 minutes. Place the fried pierogies on a buttered baking sheet, sprinkle them with the cooked onions, and keep warm in the oven on low setting until served.

Steps:

• For the dough: In a large mixing bowl, combine the sour cream, flour, butter, 2 whole eggs, egg yolk, 2 teaspoons salt and olive oil. Knead the mixture into a soft dough. Divide the dough in half and cover for 10 minutes. On a floured surface, roll each half of the dough into a thin circle, 1/4-inch thick. Cut the dough using a 3-inch circle cutter. For the filling: Season the beef with salt and pepper. In a saute pan, render the ground beef for 3 minutes. Remove from the pan and drain on a paper-lined plate. In a mixing bowl, combine the cheese, ground beef, shallots, garlic, green onion and egg. Mix well. Season with salt and pepper. Place 1 tablespoon of the filling in the center of each circle of dough and fold over. Press and seal into half-moon shapes. Use a little water to seal the pierogi's. In a pot of boiling, salted water, cook the pierogi for 8 minutes, or until they float. Remove from the water and drain. In a saute pan, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter. Sear the pierogi for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, or until they are golden brown. Remove from the pan. The pierogi will need to be sauteed in batches. Arrange the pierogi's on a platter. Garnish with parsley and serve with sour cream.