Potato, Cottage Cheese and Sauerkraut Perogies

For my first post I am making classic perogies with multiple fillings. Perogies are a type of Ukrainian dumpling filled with various fillings, usually potato.  Making homemade perogies takes time but is worth the effort.This recipe has been passed down in my family and will make one dozen cottage cheese perogies, one dozen sauerkraut perogies and 4-5 dozen potato perogies.

Perogies

• Fillings: 
• 2 medium onions, chopped finely
• 4 large potatoes, peeled 
• 1 cup dry cottage cheese( or regular cottage cheese drained)
• 1 cup sauerkraut
• 1 egg yolk
• Perogy dough
• 6 cups flour
• 6 Tbsp oil
• 2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp cream of tarter or baking soda
• 2 cups potato water

 Fillings

Potato, sauerkraut and cottage cheese filling

1. Potato filling
1. Boil the potatoes with at least 2 cups of water, reserve the water for the dough. Let the water cool while you make the other fillings.
2. Mash potatoes
3. Season with salt and pepper,
4. Fry 1.5 onions and add about one onion worth to potato
2. Cottage cheese filling
1. Mix cottage cheese with 0.5onion, fried in previous step
2. Add egg yolk
3. Sauerkraut filling
1. Fry remaining onion with sauerkraut, drain excess liquid.

Dough

1. Mix together all the ingredients. The potato water can be warm, but not hot. Knead until dough is well mixed, and slightly sticky (but not sticky enough to stick to your hands)
2. Let sit for 15 minutes to one hour. This step is very important, skip it and your perogies will be tough.

Perogies

1. Roll out dough in batches.
2. Cut dough into two inch squares. 
3. Put a dab of filling in the center of each square, making sure filling never touches the edges or the perogies will split open when you cook them.
4. Pinch each square closed into a triangle
5. Drop the perogies, one at a time, into a pot of boiling water (no salt, this will make them tough).
6. Boil the perogies for 7-8 minutes, or until they float and puff up a bit.

At this point you can either eat the perogies with sour cream or covered butter and fried onions(or both). Or, if you can't eat 6 dozen in one sitting you can freeze them. To freeze them cook them, coat them in oil and put in freezer bags. To cook them later: Thaw a bag of perogies then either boil them to warm them up or fry them till crispy.

Fold squares into triangles