Name: Pierogi ruskie (Polish Potato and Twaróg Dumplings)
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 125 min
Yield: About 60 pierogi
Cuisine: Polish
Ingredients: 500 g all-purpose wheat flour, plus a little for rolling; 5 g fine salt; 1 l arge egg (about 50 g without shell); 15 ml neutral oil; 240 ml steaming-hot water, not boiling; 600 g floury potatoes, peeled weight, cut into 3 cm pieces; 300 g plain twaróg, crumbled; 150 g yellow onion, finely diced; use 100 g in the filling and reserve 50 g for the topping; 30 g unsalted butter; use 20 g in the filling and reserve 10 g for the topping; 4 g fine salt; 1 g freshly ground black pepper; 200 g sour cream; 2 L water for the potatoes; 4 L water for boiling the pierogi; 12 g salt for the pierogi cooking water

A bowl of potato and twarog pierogi ruskie topped with golden fried onion, with sour cream set beside it.

Yield About 60 pierogi

Serving basis 7–8 pierogi per serving; 8 servings

Difficulty Moderate

Dietary classification Vegetarian

Ingredients ↓

Introduction and overview

Pierogi ruskie (Polish Potato and Twaróg Dumplings)

Pierogi ruskie are Polish dumplings filled with potato, fresh curd cheese and onion, wrapped in thin wheat dough. Here, part of the onion is cooked slowly in butter until soft and gently sweet, without overpowering the cheese's mild tang. The rest is browned for the topping.

The name can be misread as a reference to Russia, but its historical and regional context is more complicated. This potato, twaróg and onion filling is one of several regional forms; ingredients, dough and toppings vary from household to household. Twaróg is a Polish fresh curd cheese; choose a firm, fairly dry version so the filling stays compact.

Cook and dry the potatoes before mixing the filling; let it cool while you make and rest the dough. Resting relaxes the dough so it rolls thinly without springing back. A firm seal matters more than decorative crimping: trapped air and filling on the rim can cause a pieróg to open in the pot.

What makes this version work

Let drained potatoes steam-dry briefly so the filling is not watery.
Crumble the twaróg into warm mashed potatoes for an even filling without turning it gluey.
Keep the dough covered while shaping so its surface does not dry and crack.
Boil at a gentle, steady simmer; a hard rolling boil can knock the seams open.

Ingredients

Dough

500 g all-purpose wheat flour, plus a little for rolling
5 g fine salt
1 l arge egg (about 50 g without shell)
15 ml neutral oil
240 ml steaming-hot water, not boiling

Filling

600 g floury potatoes, peeled weight, cut into 3 cm pieces
300 g plain twaróg, crumbled
150 g yellow onion, finely diced; use 100 g in the filling and reserve 50 g for the topping
30 g unsalted butter; use 20 g in the filling and reserve 10 g for the topping
4 g fine salt
1 g freshly ground black pepper

To serve (optional)

200 g sour cream

Cooking water

2 L water for the potatoes
4 L water for boiling the pierogi
12 g salt for the pierogi cooking water

Method

Directions

Cook and dry the potatoes.Put the potato pieces and 2 L water in a pot and bring to a boil. Simmer for 15–18 minutes, until a knife tip passes through easily. Drain well and leave the potatoes in the colander for 2–3 minutes so surface steam escapes.
Soften the filling onion.While the potatoes cook, melt 20 g butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Add 100 g diced onion and cook for 7–9 minutes, stirring often, until soft and pale gold. Keep the heat gentle; deeply browned onion can make the filling taste bitter.
Mix the filling.Mash the drained potatoes while still warm. Add the twaróg, cooked onion with its butter, 4 g salt and black pepper. Mix until evenly combined but still slightly textured. Cool the filling completely before shaping; warm filling can soften the dough and make sealing difficult.
Make and rest the dough.Combine the flour and 5 g salt in a large bowl. Add the egg and oil, then gradually pour in 240 ml steaming-hot water, not boiling, while mixing with a fork or sturdy spoon. When the dough is cool enough to handle, knead on a lightly floured surface for 8–10 minutes, until smooth, supple and no longer sticky. Cover and rest for 30 minutes at room temperature.
Roll and cut.Divide the dough into four pieces and keep three covered. Roll one piece to about 2 mm thick. Cut 7.5–8 cm rounds, gathering and rerolling the scraps once. Keep the rounds covered with a clean towel while you fill them.
Fill and seal.Place about 16–17 g cooled filling in the center of each round. Fold the dough over to form a half-moon. Press from the center outward, pushing out air and sealing the edges firmly; keep filling off the rim. Set each pieróg on a lightly floured tray and cover while you finish the remaining dough.
Boil in batches.Bring 4 L water to a gentle boil and add the 12 g salt. Lower in a batch of pierogi without crowding the pot. Stir once carefully to release any dumplings from the bottom. When they float, cook for another 2–3 minutes. Lift one out and check that its dough is tender with no raw, floury band at the seam. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain briefly. Repeat with the remaining pierogi, allowing the water to return to a gentle boil between batches.
Brown the topping onion and serve.Melt the remaining 10 g butter in a small pan over medium heat. Add the reserved 50 g onion and cook for 7–9 minutes, stirring, until soft and golden. Spoon it over the hot pierogi and serve at once, with the optional sour cream.

Troubleshooting

The dough keeps shrinkingCover it and let it rest another 10 minutes, then roll with light, even pressure.
The filling feels looseThe potatoes may have retained water or the cheese may be wet. Let the filling cool fully; do not add an unlisted binder.
Pierogi open in the potWipe filling from the rim, press out trapped air and seal firmly. Keep the water at a gentle boil and avoid overcrowding.

Nutrition per serving

Serving size7–8 pierogi (about one eighth of the batch)
CaloriesAbout 390 kcal
CarbohydrateAbout 64 g
ProteinAbout 16 g
FatAbout 8 g
FibreAbout 4 g
SodiumAbout 470 mg

Allergens and food safety

Serving, storage and make-ahead: Serve the pierogi hot with the browned onion. Sour cream is an optional accompaniment; it is not included in the nutrition estimate. For a second-day meal, cool the cooked dumplings promptly, refrigerate them covered, then warm them in a lightly buttered skillet until hot throughout. Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours (within 1 hour if the ambient temperature is above 32.2 °C / 90 °F) and use within 3–4 days; reheat to 74 °C / 165 °F.

Serving, storage and make-ahead: The filling can be made a day ahead and refrigerated. Bring it only briefly to a cool, workable temperature before shaping. Uncooked pierogi freeze best in one layer on a floured tray; once firm, transfer them to an airtight container. Boil from frozen in batches, allow a few extra minutes after they float, and check a test dumpling for a tender center. Do not thaw them on the counter.

Contains wheat (gluten), egg and milk. Use separate, clean equipment if cooking for someone with an allergy; ordinary twaróg is a dairy product. Keep filling and shaped pierogi refrigerated if preparation is paused. Refrigerate cooked pierogi within 2 hours (within 1 hour if the ambient temperature is above 32.2 °C / 90 °F), store them in a shallow covered container, and use within 3–4 days. Reheat leftovers throughout to 74 °C / 165 °F. Freeze uncooked dumplings promptly and cook them from frozen.

To remember

The result: tender half-moon dumplings with a savory potato, twaróg and onion center.
The decisive technique: cool the filling and seal each rim firmly before boiling gently.