These rustic comforting and delicious homemade potato pierogi, or pierogi ruskie, are made with edible flower laminated pierogi dough and served with sautéed onions and sour cream.
Edible flowers add a special and beautiful touch to this classic Polish comfort food.
Table of Contents
Pierogi Ruskie
Pierogi ruskie are comforting warm pillows of potato-filled dough. They are like a hug in a bowl, often pan-fried with onions and served with sour cream or apple sauce. There are versions of pierogi with a variety of fillings made and eaten throughout Eastern Europe and Russia.
In Poland, they are called pierogi and are known as varenyky in Ukraine, for example. Eastern European immigrants brought with them their pierogi recipes to the States and these delicious dumplings have become woven into the tapestry of American cuisine.
Making Pierogi Dough with Edible Flowers
I’ve made edible flower and herb laminated pasta before and this is essentially the same idea. By layering edible flower petals and/or herbs between layers of dough a beautiful stained glass effect occurs. It’s definitely extra but can’t we all use a little more beauty in our lives? You can totally skip this step and go straight to filling the pierogi though.
The dough can be rolled by hand with a rolling pin or in a pasta roller as shown in the images. Once the dough is rolled, laminating or layering in the edible flowers is easy. Just lay them out on half of the dough and fold the other half over them. When you roll the dough back out the flowers or herbs will stretch and break apart into beautiful abstract designs.
As far as added flavor, most edible flowers won’t add much, whereas using herbs like basil or sage will add flavor to the dough.
Edible Flowers to Use
- violas
- violets
- pansies
- bachelor’s buttons
- nasturtiums
- sunflower petals
- marigolds
- dandelions
- chive blossoms
- borage
- California poppies
- malva
Pierogi Filling
The most common version of pierogi in the States is pierogi ruskie which is traditionally filled with a mixture of cooked and mashed potatoes and farmer’s cheese or cheese curds. In my recipe, I skip the cheese and keep it simple with a creamy chive mashed potato filling. Feel free to add cheese to the filling if you want.
Forming the Pierogi Dumplings
Pierogi are formed similarly to Chinese dumplings. Simply scoop a rounded spoonful of filling onto a cutout circle of the dough, wet the edges then fold the dough over the filling and crimp the edges. Pierogi are meant to be rustic so don’t fret if the edges are not perfectly crimped.
How to Serve Pierogi
Pierogi ruskie are usually served with sautéed onions and sour cream or apple sauce. After boiling the pierogi in water until they are cooked al dente, they are transferred to the pan of sautéed onions to finish cooking and soak up the delicious sweet and earthy flavor of the onions. Serve them hot with a dollop of sour cream for the perfect comforting meal.
How to Make Potato Pierogi
Step 1: Make the Pierogi Dough
Start by combing the flour and salt together in a mixing bowl and then make a well in the center of the flour. Add the eggs and water to the well and beat them together with a fork slowly adding in the flour until a shaggy dough forms.
At this point, switch to mixing by hand until the dough comes together. Then turn the dough out onto the work surface and knead it for about 8-10 minutes into a smooth ball. Wrap the dough tightly and let it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes or refrigerate to use later.
Step 2: Make the Pierogi Filling
Prepare the potato filling by quartering the peeled potatoes. Add them to the stockpot and cover them with 1-2” of cold water. Bring them to a boil and generously salt the boiling water. Cook the potatoes until they are tender, about 10 minutes.
Drain the potatoes and return them to the stockpot. Add the milk, olive oil or butter, salt and pepper, and mash the potatoes until smooth. Stir in the chopped chives and set the filling aside for now or refrigerate or use later.
Step 3: Laminate the Pierogi Dough with Edible Flowers
After the dough has rested, divide it into four and take out 1 section to work with while wrapping the rest back up to keep the dough from drying out.
Roll the dough out to about ⅛” thick, or to setting no. 4 on a pasta roller. Then place the edible flowers over half of the dough in one even layer. Cover as much of the dough as you can. Fold the dough over the flowers and re-roll it to the same thickness. The flowers will stretch out as you roll the dough and create beautiful stained glass designs in the dough when you hold it up to the light.
Adding edible flowers is totally optional. If you can’t source edible flowers they can also be replaced with any herbs such as parsley, or baby spinach leaves.
Step 4: Form the Pierogi
Cut out roughly 3.5” circles from the dough using a cookie cutter or a drinking glass. Spoon about 1-½ tablespoons of the filling onto each piece of dough and wet the edges with water. Then fold the dough over the filling and press and crimp the edges together with your fingers.
Transfer the shaped pierogi to a floured sheet pan. Then repeat the process with the remaining quarters of dough.
Save all the dough scraps then re-roll, cut, fill and shape them. This recipe makes approximately 36 pierogi when you use the scrap dough. There’s no need to add more flowers to the scraps. Once they are re-rolled the flowers break up and create a marbled effect in the dough, which is equally beautiful and the stained glass window design.
Step 5: Cook the Pierogi
Bring a large stockpot of water to a boil then generously salt the water.
Meanwhile, peel and slice the onions. Heat a skillet then add the oil followed by the sliced onions and sauté the onions until they are nicely browned and starting to caramelize, stirring frequently for about 8-10 minutes. Then season them with salt and pepper to taste.
Once the water is boiling cook the pierogi in batches of 12 until they float and are al dente, about 3-5 minutes. Spoon them out of the water with a kitchen spider or slotted spoon and transfer them to the sautéed onions. Then cook the remaining batches.
Serve them in the skillet or on a platter with sour cream and garnish with chopped chives and edible flowers.
Tips for Making Edible Flower Potato Pierogi
Weigh the ingredients
I always recommend using a kitchen scale to weigh ingredients when making doughs. It is the most accurate way to follow the recipe and ensures that you will get the correct results from any recipe.
Use a Pasta Roller
I usually don’t like recommending kitchen gadgets that only have one use but a pasta roller can be very helpful for rolling out pierogi dough and other filled dumpling doughs. If you like making homemade pasta, dumplings, and pierogi even just every so often pasta roller is a great tool to have.
Make-Ahead
The dough and filling can be made ahead of time and refrigerated. Once all of the pierogi are shaped they can be cooked straight away or wrapped and refrigerated for up to 3 days. Alternatively, they can be flash-frozen on the sheet pans for about 30 minutes uncovered then transferred to freezer-safe bags and stored in the freezer for up to 6 months. Frozen pierogi can be cooked straight from the freezer into boiling water.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, freeze the formed and uncooked pierogi on a sheet pan then transfer them to freezer-safe bags. They will keep frozen for up to 6 months. Cook them straight from the freezer into the boiling water. Frozen pierogi will take a couple of minutes longer to cook if frozen.
Yes, to make vegan pierogi dough, replace the eggs with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and 3 tablespoons of plant-based milk plus a bit more water if the dough is dry. To make vegan pierogi filling swap the milk with plant-based milk. Replace sour cream with unsweetened plain thick coconut yogurt.
I have not tested this recipe with gluten-free flour but since it is an unleavened dumpling dough you can try swapping the all-purpose flour with a 1-1 gluten-free replacement flour such as Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour. The filling is already gluten-free.
Love This Recipe?
If you made my Potato Pierogi with Edible Flowers recipe I would love to hear your feedback! Please leave a star-rating review of the recipe and let me know what you think in a comment below. This small act is a great way to show your support for the food blogs you read and love.
Potato Pierogi with Edible Flowers
Ingredients
Pierogi Dough
- 300 g all-purpose flour ≈2 cups + 2 tablespoons
- 6 g kosher salt 1-1/2 teaspoon
- 2 large eggs 100g at room temperature
- 80 g lukewarm water 1/3 cup
- 2 cups edible flowers loosely packed, plus more for garnish, *see below for varieties
Potato Filling
- 675 g starchy potatoes 1-1/2 lbs, peeled, such as Yukon gold or russet
- 75 g milk 135ml or 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon
- 40 g extra-virgin olive oil 3 tablespoons
- 4 g kosher salt 1 teaspoon
- 1 g black pepper 1/2 teaspoon, freshly ground
- 2 teaspoons chives chopped, plus more for garnish
Sautéed Onions
- 570 g onions 1-1/4 lbs, or shallots
- 27 g extra-virgin olive oil 2 tablespoons
- 2 g kosher salt 1/2 teaspoon
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper freshly ground
Accompaniments
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl combine the flour and salt with a fork then make a well in the center.
- Crack the eggs into the well and add the lukewarm water. Beat the eggs and water with a fork and slowly incorporate the flour into the mixture until a shaggy dough starts to form.
- Switch to mixing by hand until the dough comes together. Then turn the dough out onto the work surface and knead it for about 8-10 minutes into a smooth ball.
- Wrap the dough tightly and let it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes or refrigerate to use later.
- Meanwhile, prepare the potato filling by quartering the peeled potatoes. Add them to the stockpot and cover them with 1-2” of cold water. Bring them to a boil and generously salt the boiling water. Cook the potatoes until they are tender, about 10 minutes.
- Drain the potatoes and return them to the stockpot. Add the milk, olive oil, salt and pepper, and mash the potatoes until smooth. Stir in the chopped chives.
- After the dough has rested, divide it in four and take out 1 section to work with while wrapping the rest back up to keep them from drying out.
- Roll the dough out to about 1/8” thick, or to setting no. 4 on a pasta roller. Then place the edible flowers over half of the dough in one even layer. Cover as much of the dough as you can. Fold the dough over the flowers and re-roll it to the same thickness. The flowers will stretch out as you roll the dough and create beautiful stained glass designs in the dough when you hold it up to the light.
- Cut out roughly 3.5” circles from the dough using a cookie cutter or a drinking glass.
- Spoon about 1-1/2 tablespoons of the filling onto each piece of dough and wet the edges with water. Then fold the dough over the filling and press and crimp the edges together with your fingers.
- Transfer the shaped pierogi to a floured sheet pan. Then repeat the process with the remaining quarters of dough.
- Save all the dough scraps then re-roll, cut, fill and shape them. This recipe makes approximately 36 pierogi when you use the scrap dough. There’s no need to add more flowers to the scraps. Once they are re-rolled the flowers break up and create a marbled effect in the dough, which is equally beautiful and the stained glass window design.
- Once all of the pierogi are shaped they can be cooked straight away or wrapped and refrigerated for up to 3 days. Alternatively, they can be flash-frozen on the sheet pans for about 30 minutes uncovered then transferred to freezer-safe bags and stored in the freezer for up to 6 months. Frozen pierogi can be cooked straight from the freezer into boiling water.
- Bring a large stockpot of water to a boil then generously salt the water.
- Meanwhile, peel and slice the onions. Heat a skillet then add the oil followed by the sliced onions and sauté the onions until they are nicely browned and starting to caramelize, stirring frequently for about 8-10 minutes. Then season them with salt and pepper to taste.
- Once the water is boiling cook the pierogi in batches of 12 until they float and are al dente, about 3-5 minutes. Spoon them out of the water with a kitchen spider or slotted spoon and transfer them to the sautéed onions. Then cook the remaining batches.
- Serve them in the skillet or on a platter with sour cream and garnish with chopped chives and edible flowers.
- Leftovers will keep refrigerated in a container for up to 3 days. Reheat to serve.
kaity
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Meg
These sound so good!