Pierogies

This recipe for Pierogies is a modified version of one I found at Epicurious.com
It is my foundation for many tasty pierogie based recipes.

Pierogies

Pasta dough:
3 cups all purpose flour plus more for dusting
1 cup water
1 egg (I use free range because they have a richer flavor)
2 tsp canola oil
1 tsp salt

Put flour and salt in a large shallow bowl.  Make a well in the center and put water, egg, and oil in well.  Mix the liquid into the flour slowly until a ragged ball forms.  Knead dough on a flour dusted surface for about 8 minutes, until smooth, elastic, and supple, dusting with flour as needed to prevent sticking.  Overturn a bowl on the dough and let sit one hour.

Potato filling:
Four medium Idaho potatoes

Boil the potatoes until tender.  Mash.

To shape the Pierogies:
Fill a large pot with water and put it on the stove on high to boil.
Roll out the dough until thin on a cutting board dusted with flour (if you are lucky enough to own a pasta roller this is when to use it). Cut rounds about 3" in diameter (I use a wine glass, but a cookie cutter would work as well).  Put about one half tsp of potato filling in the center of each round. Wet the edge of the dough with a wet finger. Fold the dough over the potato, forming a pocket and tuck the corners in. Seal closed with your fingers and then crimp the edges with a fork.  I place the uncooked pierogies on a greased cookie sheet lined with parchment paper while they are waiting to cook. Once all the pierogies are shaped, drop them one at a time into the boiling water, about ten pierogies can cook at once.  Stir the pot with a slotted spoon once at the beginning of cooking to prevent sticking, and allow to cook about 3 minutes.  The pierogies should be floating when you remove them from the water.  Drain them and rinse with hot water to remove excess starch.
Enjoy.

This recipe makes a whole mess of pierogies. About 10 servings.  You can freeze them after boiling on a greased cookie sheet and once frozen, transfer to a plastic freezer bag. Do not freeze them all together in one bag without first freezing on a cookie sheet or they will clump together and be impossible to seperate.