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1
To make the pierogi dough: Mix the 4 eggs, butter, sour cream, and salt together in a bowl with a whisk.
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2
Sift the flour onto a flat work surface and make a well in the center, pour the wet ingredients into the crater.
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3
Stir the mixture together with a fork, gradually incorporating the flour into the well until a soft dough forms.
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4
Squeeze the dough with your hands, if it's too sticky, add a bit of flour; if it's not pliable, add a couple of drops of water.
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5
Knead the dough, adding only as much additional flour as needed to keep the dough from sticking, until it is smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes.
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6
Gather the dough into a ball and cover it with an inverted bowl or plastic wrap for 10 minutes or so to rest.
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7
To make the filling: Cook the potato cubes in boiling salted water until tender, about 15 minutes.
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8
Drain and then mash them with a ricer or regular old potato masher while they are still hot; set them aside to cool while preparing the rest of the filling.
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9
Trim the root off the end of the leek and cut off all but 1-inch of the green part.
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10
Halve the leek lengthwise and rinse really well under cool water, checking for dirt everywhere; it gets trapped in all the layers of outer leaves.
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11
Slice the leek finely.
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12
Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat.
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13
Add the leek, mushrooms, and thyme, saute for a few minutes to soften the vegetables; season with salt and pepper.
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14
Continue to cook until the vegetables are broken down and almost dry, then pour in the cream, stir to incorporate.
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15
Remove the pan from the heat, take out the sprigs of thyme, and scrape the mushroom mixture into the potatoes, mix well to incorporate the ingredients.
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16
Make sure the filling is not too hot, or it will start to cook the dough, causing it to sog.
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17
Lightly flour your rolling pin and counter.
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18
Take 1/2 of the dough (leaving the rest covered so it doesn't dry out while you work) and roll it out into a thin circle, about 1/8-inch thick.
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19
Using a 3-inch round cookie or biscuit cutter, cut circles out of the dough.
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20
Spoon 1 tablespoon of the filling into the center of each pastry circle, leaving a 1/2-inch border.
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21
Beat the remaining egg with 2 tablespoons of water to make an egg wash and brush it on the edges of the circle.
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22
Fold the dough over in 1/2 to enclose the filling and form a semi-circle and seal the edges by crimping with the tines of a fork.
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23
Lightly tap the bottoms of the dumplings on the counter to make it flat.
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24
Repeat with the remaining half of dough and filling.
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25
You should make about 35 pierogies; put 1/2 of them in the freezer to keep on hand (they are better than the ones you find in the frozen section of the grocery store.)
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26
Coat a large saute pan (that has a tight fitting lid) with vegetable oil and place over medium heat.
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27
Lay the pierogies in the pan (you may have to do this in batches) and fry them for a couple of minutes until they start to crisp and brown on both sides.
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28
Pour in 1 cup of water and cover the pan to let the pierogies steam; when the water evaporates the turnovers should be cooked and crisp.
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29
Arrange the pierogies on a platter, garnish with parsley, and serve with roasted apples and/or sour cream.
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30
3 Gala apples, peeled, cored, and coarsely chopped
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31
3 Golden Delicious, peeled, cored, and coarsely chopped
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32
1 lemon, juiced
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33
2 cinnamon sticks
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34
1/4 cup sugar
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35
Pinch salt
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36
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
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37
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
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38
Spread the apples out in a casserole pan and add the lemon juice, cinnamon, sugar, salt, and butter.
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39
Bake until the apples are roasted and soft, about 30 minutes.
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40
Serve the chunky apple sauce with pierogies, either hot or chilled.
