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You are here: Home / easily made vegetarian / Pierogi Part 3 (potato filling and leftover pancakes)

Pierogi Part 3 (potato filling and leftover pancakes)

March 17, 2013 By Laura 5 Comments

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Potato filling in pierogi pasta

And now we come to the pierogi that I love. The simple but oh-SO-decadent potato pierogi.** I prefer them simply boiled, with sour cream. With loads of onions in the filling. Upon the recommendation of Anne Applebaum, whose From a Polish Country House Kitchen: 90 Recipes for the Ultimate Comfort Food guided our entire pierogi making adventure, we also added bacon. By which I mean bacon fat and crumbled bacon. Swoon. (Right about now my sister is loading her car with weapons and headed this way–because potato pierogi were the one kind Chris did not bring home for her to try. On accident. I swear.)

Potato Pancake made from pierogi filling

There is an added benefit to making sure potato is one of the fillings you try when you make pierogi. Using the leftovers to make potato pancakes. Oh yeah. Dare I say I liked these even better than the pierogi?

Frying Potato Pancakes

They were certainly easier, at any rate. Whichever way you prepare them, the result is delicious. I promise. Just don’t forget to share them with your sister. Seriously.

Potato filling in pierogi pasta
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Potato Filling for Pierogi, Potato Pancakes
Adapted from Anne Applebaum
Course: potatoes
Cuisine: Polish
Keyword: pierogi, potatoes
Author: TheSpicedLife
Ingredients
  • 3 medium potatoes peeled and boiled in salted water until tender
  • 6 strips of bacon
  • 2 medium large onions finely diced
  • 8 oz cheddar cheese grated (ricotta would be more traditional but we preferred cheddar)
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 T unsalted butter
  • flour for dredging
  • oil for frying
Instructions
  1. Cut the cooked potato into chunks and place in a large bowl (you can mash and mix by hand, or, do as we did, and use your mixer). Mash the potatoes with the tablespoon of butter (it will melt from the heat of the potatoes).
  2. Cook the bacon until crispy. Set aside to drain and cool on a paper towel lined plate.
  3. Pour about 1-2 tablespoons of the bacon grease into the potatoes. Leave 1-2 tablespoons in the pan.
  4. Heat the pan back up and add the onions with a pinch of salt. Cook until translucent.
  5. While the onions are cooking, crumble the bacon and add it to the potatoes.
  6. Add the shredded cheese to the potatoes. Mix everything thoroughly.
  7. When the onions are lightly browned, add them to the potatoes. Mix.
  8. Taste for salt and pepper (it should not need much salt thanks to the bacon and cheese).
  9. The filling is now ready to be used in pierogi.
  10. If using to make potato pancakes, let the filling cool until it is handle-able. Form patties in your hands and then lightly dredge in flour. Fry on medium high heat in pre-heated oil until browned on both sides.

 

**By the way, your pierogi should be a complete round. Of course the one nice shot I got of the filling on the uncooked pasta dough is a round that looks like it was folded under on one end and I never noticed!

Filed Under: easily made vegetarian, Polish cuisine, potato dishes, potatoes, ricotta Tagged With: bacon, cheddar, cheese, leftovers, onions, pasta, Polish, potato pancakes, potatoes

« Pierogi Part 2 (Strawberries Macerated in Sweet Vodka)
Salted Vanilla Oatmeal Cookies/Review of Pure Vanilla »

Comments

  1. Joanne says

    March 18, 2013 at 6:23 am

    My sister would be pretty irate also! I definitely love that you turned the filling into potato pancakes so that the pierogi love continues on!!

    Reply
  2. Jen @ Savory Simple says

    March 18, 2013 at 8:11 am

    These look so fabulous!

    Reply
  3. Elizabeth says

    March 18, 2013 at 3:16 pm

    This is the one I grew up eating, minus the bacon. We just always ate ours with melted butter – so good!

    Reply
  4. Amanda says

    March 18, 2013 at 4:45 pm

    I never thought about using the leftover potato mixture for a potato pancake. That’s a great idea! I’ll keep that in mind next time I make pierogies!

    Reply
  5. Kathryn says

    March 22, 2013 at 11:07 pm

    Oh how I miss pierogies. I haven’t mastered a gluten free version but I think making your filling into potato pancakes is amazing! Easy to sub gf flour for that. Thanks!

    Reply

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Hi! I’m Laura and I am a recovering history major who has re-channeled all of my passion for learning about the history of different countries to learning about their food culture. That doesn’t mean every dish on here is strictly authentic, but it does mean that even my adaptations are not undertaken lightly. My goal is to show you–by doing–that these dishes are possible in your kitchen. Including desserts because I have quite the sweet tooth! Read More…

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