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1
Put 2 tablespoons of the butter in a skillet over medium heat and add the onions, along with a liberal sprinkling of salt and pepper.
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2
Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion wilts, then turns brown, as long as 30 minutes.
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3
Its okay if the onion gets a bit crisp on the edges, but dont cook it too fast; basically you want a kind of onion compote.
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4
Combine half the onions and the garlic, if youre using it, with the mashed potatoes, then taste and adjust the seasoning.
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5
Lay a wrapper on a work surface, then place 1 to 2 teaspoons of the filling in the center of it; brush the edges of the wrapper with egg white, then pinch tightly to close.
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6
If you have cut circles, form half-moons; if you have cut squares, form triangles.
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7
Press the seam tightly to seal; its best if no air is trapped between the filling and wrapper.
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8
Set on a lightly floured plate or wax paper.
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9
(At this point, you may cover tightly and refrigerate for up to a day or freeze for a couple of weeks.)
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10
To boil the dumplings, melt the remaining butter, set a large pot of water to boil, and preheat the oven to 200F.
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11
Salt the water and boil the dumplings a few at a time until they rise to the surface.
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12
A minute or two later, taste a bit of the dough to see whether it is tender.
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13
As they finish, remove the dumplings with a slotted spoon and put them in an ovenproof bowl; drizzle them with some of the butter and put the bowl in the oven.
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14
When the dumplings are done, make sure they are coated evenly with butter.
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15
Reheat the reserved onions and toss them with the pierogi.
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16
Serve hot with sour cream.
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17
Put about 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet, preferably nonstick, over medium heat.
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18
When the butter melts, add as many dumplings as will fit without crowding and brown them quickly, turning once or twice.
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19
Keep warm on a plate in the oven, cooking the remaining dumplings and adding butter to the skillet as needed.
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20
Serve hot.
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21
Use Kasha with Bacon and Onions (page 529) or Kasha with Mushrooms (page 529) as a filling.
