Name: Loaded Baked Potato Pierogies
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 105 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Polish
Ingredients: ⅓ teaspoon fine salt; 1 ⅓ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling; 2 tablespoons beaten egg, beat 1 large egg, then measure 2 tablespoons; ⅓ cup full-fat sour cream; 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon unsalted butter, melted and cooled; 1–2 tablespoons water, as needed; 12 ounces russet potatoes, peeled and sliced evenly; ½ teaspoon kosher salt, taste the filling before adding; 4 slices bacon, cook crisp and finely chop; reserve 2 teaspoons for garnish; 2 teaspoons unsalted butter; 2 tablespoons full-fat sour cream; 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons green onions, thinly sliced; ⅛ teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground; 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, freshly shredded; bacon, additional cooked and chopped, optional garnish; 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon unsalted butter, divided; 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon olive oil, divided; Mary’s standing default for unspecified neutral frying oil; green onions, additional thinly sliced, optional garnish; as needed water, for boiling potatoes and pierogies; as needed salt, for the cooking water; as needed olive oil, a light film for the draining tray

Mary’s Introduction

These pierogies bring loaded-potato comfort into a tender dumpling with crisp, buttery edges. The recipe makes 15 to share among four people; keep any extra filling separate instead of forcing it into the seams.

THE RECIPE

Loaded Baked Potato Pierogies

Prep 40 minCook 35 minTotal 105 min

Ingredients

Pierogi dough

0.33333333333333 teaspoon fine salt
1.3333333333333 cups all-purpose flour plus more for rolling
2 tablespoons beaten egg beat 1 large egg, then measure 2 tablespoons
0.33333333333333 cup full-fat sour cream
unsalted butter melted and cooled
tablespoons water as needed

Loaded baked potato filling

12 ounces russet potatoes peeled and sliced evenly
0.5 teaspoon kosher salt taste the filling before adding
4 slices bacon cook crisp and finely chop; reserve 2 teaspoons for garnish
2 teaspoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons full-fat sour cream
green onions thinly sliced
0.125 teaspoon black pepper freshly ground
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese freshly shredded

Pan-frying and finishing

bacon additional cooked and chopped, optional garnish
unsalted butter divided
olive oil divided; Mary’s standing default for unspecified neutral frying oil Shop This Ingredient
green onions additional thinly sliced, optional garnish

Cooking water and tray

as needed water for boiling potatoes and pierogies
as needed salt for the cooking water
as needed olive oil a light film for the draining tray Shop This Ingredient

Instructions

Heat a large pot of water and add salt. Add the evenly sliced peeled potatoes and cook for about 10 minutes, or until tender and cooked through. Drain thoroughly and set aside.
While the potatoes cook, cook the bacon in a skillet until crisp. Drain and finely chop. Reserve 2 teaspoons of this cooked bacon for garnish; use the rest in the filling.
Stir together the flour and fine salt. Separately whisk the measured 2 tablespoons beaten egg, sour cream, melted and cooled butter, and 1 tablespoon water. Stir into the flour until a shaggy dough forms. Add more water a teaspoon at a time, within the listed 1–2 tablespoons total, if dry flour remains. Knead gently for 3–5 minutes until smooth and soft. Cover and rest for 30 minutes.
Add the drained potatoes to a bowl and mash with the 2 teaspoons butter. Cool until barely warm, then fold in the cheddar, filling bacon, green onions, 2 tablespoons sour cream and pepper. Taste before adding the listed kosher salt. Let the filling cool completely before shaping; refrigerate promptly if cooling or preparation will be prolonged.
Roll the dough about 1/8 inch thick on a lightly floured surface. Cut into 3 1/2-inch rounds, rerolling scraps once as needed. Make 15 pierogies. Place 1 1/2 tablespoons filling in each round, fold into a half-moon, gently press out trapped air and pinch firmly closed. Lightly moisten the edges with water if needed. Keep the dough and shaped pierogies covered as you work. Reserve excess filling; Mary reported 1/2 cup left over.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a gentle boil. Add 8 pierogies and stir gently to prevent sticking. Once they float, cook another 2–3 minutes, until the dough is tender. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on a lightly oiled tray. Repeat with the remaining 7. Floating alone is not a doneness or food-safety test.
Pat away excess surface moisture. Heat half the measured frying oil and butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Fry the first 8 pierogies for 2–3 minutes per side until golden, then repeat with the remaining oil, butter and 7 pierogies. At completion, verify a center temperature of 165°F in representative pierogies; extend cooking gently if necessary.
Divide the 15 pierogies among four plates; portions will be approximately 3–4 each, not four equal groups of four. Finish with the reserved bacon and optional additional green onions or cooked bacon.

Chef Notes

This recipe makes 15 pierogies. Four servings means one quarter of the batch; it does not mean exactly 4 pierogies each.
The 105-minute total includes about 40 minutes active preparation, 35 minutes estimated cooking and a 30-minute covered dough rest. Bacon and potatoes can cook simultaneously; filling cooling can overlap the rest. Actual water-heating and cooling times vary.
The filling makes more than is needed for the pierogies; about ½ cup remains. The nutrition estimate excludes that unused portion.
Only 2 tablespoons of beaten egg go into the dough; the remainder of the beaten egg is not part of this recipe.
How do you know the protein is done? These filled dumplings contain pork bacon and egg. Cook the bacon until crisp before mixing it into the filling. After boiling and pan-frying, use a thin-tip food thermometer inserted from the side into the center of representative pierogies to verify 165°F. The dough should be tender, the filling hot and the surfaces golden brown; temperature, not appearance or texture alone, is the primary safety check. Keep raw egg and bacon separate from ready-to-eat ingredients and wash hands and utensils after handling them. Refrigerate perishable ingredients, prepared filling and cooked leftovers at 40°F or below; refrigerate within 2 hours, or 1 hour above 90°F. Reheat leftover pierogies and reserved filling to 165°F.

Nutrition estimated per serving

499 Calories13.9 g Protein46.5 g Carbs28.6 g Fat13.8 g Sat. Fat2.3 g Fiber1.7 g Sugar635 mg Sodium

View Full Nutrition Label

Nutrition Per Serving

Calories499

Protein13.9 g

Carbs46.5 g

Fat28.6 g

Sat. Fat13.8 g

Fiber2.3 g

Sugar1.7 g

Sodium635 mg

Nutrition information is an estimate based on available ingredient data and can vary by brand, preparation and substitutions. It is provided for convenience and is not medical advice.