Grandma Martichis' Pierogi

Total Time: 1 hr 35 mins Preparation Time: 1 hr 30 mins Cook Time: 5 mins

Ingredients

• 5 lbs idaho potatoes
• 1 1/2 lbs sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1/2 lb velveeta cheese, thinly sliced
• 1 medium sweet onion, diced
• lawry's seasoned salt
• pepper
• 1/4 lb butter
• 2 1/4 cups pre-sifted flour
• 3 medium eggs, beaten (not large)
• 2 tablespoons sour cream
• 2 tablespoons butter
• tad milk

Recipe

• 1 make the filling several hours or the day before and chill. this makes the filling firm and easier to handle when you go to fill the dough.
• 2 for the filling:.
• 3 peel, cut, and boil potatoes in a large pot.
• 4 simmer onions in the butter until soft and cover while simmering, but do not brown.
• 5 when potatoes are done, place cheeses and onions over potatoes. cover and let sit until cheeses are melted.
• 6 add seasonings and mix with a mixer on high speed. the filling should be thick and pasty, but not lumpy. chill.
• 7 for the dough:.
• 8 blend all ingredients except flour with a fork. add flour and mix well. dough should be a little sticky.
• 9 knead dough until springy, about 5-10 minutes. roll into a thick oblong and cut in half. shape each half into a flat, thick round and cover with a very damp cloth. allow the dough to rest for 1 hour.
• 10 put a large pot of water on to boil.
• 11 roll out one round into a large circle 1/4" thick. be careful not to let the edges or the middle get too thin and tear. using a large can (about the size of your hand), cut out as many circles as you can. you should be able to get at least 12 circles.
• 12 remove leftover dough and use in another recipe, such as chicken and dumplings. just roll out the dough and cut into strips for the dumplings.
• 13 to fill the circles, hold a circle in the palm of your hand and dab water around the edge of half the circle. this will seal the pierog when you close it. fill with 1 heaping teaspoon of potato mixture and flatten slightly. fold the circle over and pinch edges to seal. flute the edges.
• 14 place the pierogi in the boiling water and cook until they float to the top, 5-10 minutes.
• 15 if you'd like, you can eat the pierogi as is after they've boiled, but they are also good fried in a skillet with butter and a diced onion after boiling. just fry long enough to lightly brown each side (but don't tell my grandma!).