Roasted Sweet Potato Pierogis
Pierogis, the iconic Polish dumplings, are deliciously simple: a tender dough stuffed with something tasty then sautéed to golden brown perfection. This autumnal version stuffs the dumplings with a rich filling of fluffy mashed sweet potatoes, seasoned with sage and thyme, and smothers them with slow-caramelized onions. (Photo source: Dagny Walter)
| Yield: 4 servings | Time: 1 hour and 30 minutes active; 30 minutes passive |
Ingredients
Filling
4 medium-sized sweet potatoes
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup almond or coconut milk
8 leaves sage, minced
12 sprigs thyme, picked and minced
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
salt and pepper to taste
Dough
2 ½ cups flour (plus a little more for kneading and rolling)
1 ½ teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
¾ cup water (plus a little more as needed)
Caramelized onions
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 large white onions, thinly sliced
6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
salt and pepper to taste
Preparation
For the filling
Preheat the oven to 425F. Place the potatoes into a roasting pan and toss with the oil. Pour about ½ cup of water into the roasting pan to help the potatoes steam. Roast the potatoes for about 40 minutes or until soft.
Allow the potatoes to cool for 10 minutes, then peel them. Bring the milk to a boil in a small pot and add the potatoes. Use a whisk to lightly mash the potatoes. Add the sage, thyme, and cayenne.
Season the filling to taste with salt and pepper and set aside until the pierogis are ready to be filled.
For the dough
Whisk together the flour and salt in a medium-sized bowl. Add the olive oil and water to the dry mixture and stir with a large spoon until the liquid is absorbed.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and gently knead for 2-3 minutes or until a smooth dough forms. You may need to add a touch more flour if it’s too sticky, or a small splash of water if it’s too dry and crumbly.
Put the dough into a sealed container and allow to rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and use a rolling pin to roll it out to about a 1/8 inch thickness. Use a coffee cup or ring mold of about 3-inch diameter to cut circles from the dough.
Stuff the dough with the sweet potato filling with about 2 teaspoons in each circle. Use a brush or your finger to lightly moisten the outside of the circle with a little bit of water.
Fold the circle into half-moons and press the outsides tightly to seal, being sure there are no gaps in the seal. Repeat until all the pierogis are all filled.
Note: Once you are done cutting circles out of the dough, you can take any scraps from cutting and roll them out again to fill. You may get 2 or 3 extra Pierogis out of it!
For the onions
Heat the oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add the onions and garlic and cook for 8-10 stirring occasionally, until the onions are brown and caramelized. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Keep warm and set aside until ready to serve. Save the pan from cooking the onions to sauté the pierogis.
For serving
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pierogis and boil for 4-5 minutes or until they float. As the pierogis are boiling, heat vegetable oil over high heat in the pan you cooked the onions in, adding more oil as needed.
Remove the pierogis from the water using a slotted spoon, drain well, and transfer into the hot pan. Sauté the pierogis for 2-3 minutes on each side or until they’re golden brown.
You may need to work in batches to cook all the pierogis, adding more oil as needed. Serve hot with the caramelized onions on top.
Zero-waste tips
• Eat the peels from the sweet potatoes as a snack.
