Sweet Potato Pierogi with Caramelized Onions
Hand pinched half moon dumplings filled with roasted sweet potato and farmer cheese, boiled then fried in butter and served under slow caramelized onions.
Servings 4 servings
Ingredients
For the Dough
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 large egg yolk
- ¼ cup sour cream
- ¾ cup warm water added gradually
- 2 tablespoons butter melted
For the Filling
- 2 medium sweet potatoes roasted and mashed, about 2 cups, cooled completely
- 4 ounces farmer cheese or cream cheese
- ½ small onion finely chopped and softened in butter
- ½ teaspoon fresh sage chopped
- ¼ teaspoon fresh thyme chopped
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 pinch ground nutmeg
For the Caramelized Onions
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 large yellow onions thinly sliced
- ½ teaspoon salt
To Finish
- 3 tablespoons butter for frying
- ½ cup sour cream to serve
- ½ teaspoon coarse black pepper to serve
Instructions
Caramelize the Onions
- Melt 3 tablespoons of butter in a wide skillet over medium-low heat. Add the sliced yellow onions and the salt and stir to coat.
- Cook 30 to 40 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes and scraping the brown film off the pan bottom, until deep amber. Add a splash of water if the pan runs dry.
Dough and Filling
- Whisk the flour and salt. Add the egg yolk, sour cream, melted butter, and most of the warm water, and mix to a shaggy mass.
- Knead 6 to 8 minutes until smooth and springy, adding the last of the water only if it feels dry. Cover and rest 30 minutes.
- Roast the sweet potatoes at 400F for 50 minutes, scoop the flesh, mash, and cool completely.
- Stir the cheese, softened chopped onion, sage, thyme, salt, pepper, and nutmeg into the cooled mash. It should hold its shape on a spoon.
Fill and Cook
- Roll half the dough at a time to ⅛ inch thick and cut 3 inch rounds, keeping the rest covered.
- Place 1 rounded teaspoon of filling slightly off center on each round. Fold into a half moon and press the dry edges together from the center outward, then pinch the whole seam a second time.
- Bring a wide pot of salted water to a gentle boil. Cook 8 to 10 pierogi at a time. They float after 2 to 3 minutes. Give them 1 more minute, then lift them onto an oiled tray.
- Melt 3 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet over medium heat and fry the boiled pierogi in a single layer, 2 to 3 minutes per side, until blistered and golden.
- Plate the pierogi and cover them with the caramelized onions. Serve with sour cream and coarse black pepper.
Notes
- Keep the rim dry: pierogi dough bonds to itself. Water makes the seam slip and burst.
- Cool filling only: a warm filling steams inside the dough and opens the seal.
- Gentle boil: a rolling boil tears seams. Keep the water just moving.
- Freeze raw: freeze filled pierogi solid on a floured tray, then bag. Boil from frozen and add 2 minutes.
- Yellow onions only: white go flat and red turn a murky grey brown.