Perogies are basically delicious pockets of joy (aka cheesy potatoes). It's really fun and easy to make once you find a good recipe - lucky you, you found one! This recipe shows you how to make dough from scratch, fill it with homemade mashed potatoes, and cook until you get that signature perogie look. You can impress a lot of people with this recipe, trust me - making things from scratch is a lot easier than it sounds.

Full Ingredient List

Dough:

4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp salt
2 cups sour cream (can substitute unflavored yogurt)
2 eggs
1 tbsp water (keep more on hand as needed)

Filling:

5 roughly chopped potatoes (Russet work best, but most potatoes will do)
1 1/2 cups sharp cheddar, shredded
salt and pepper to season

*this recipe yields to about 48 perogies, but does vary.

You can add so many things to the filling, depending your taste and what you have on hand. Some ideas include dijon mustard, sour cream, scallions, garlic, different types of cheese, etc.

You can also serve this in many different ways. I personally like to saute my perogies with onions and peppers. Some people who aren't vegetarian will add kielbasa sausage to theirs. Some people like theirs with a little ketchup on the side. It's really up to you. This is a very versatile meal and can be personalized to your taste really easily!

Step 1: Dough

Ingredients for dough:

4 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp salt
2 cups sour cream (can substitute unflavored yogurt)
2 eggs
1 tbsp water (keep more on hand as needed)

In a large bowl, mix the flour & salt together.

Beat the eggs together, and then mix that into the dry mixture of flour & salt. (This way you don't have to work so hard to break the yolks into the mixture later).

Fold in the sour cream and water.

Mix the dough together slowly, it'll be really sticky. Keep adding water until it is workable, but you don't want to overdo it. Start with 1 tbsp of water and work up to no more than 5 tbsp for now.

Cover the dough with plastic wrap or a towel and move on to the filling.

Step 2: Filling

Ingredients for filling:

5 roughly chopped potatoes (Russet work best, but most potatoes will do)
1 1/2 cups sharp cheddar, shredded
salt and pepper to season

Make sure your chopped potatoes are roughly the same size, you want these to cook evenly. Put your chopped potatoes in a pot of boiling water and salt. Cover and cook over medium-high heat for about 20 minutes. You want these to be tender. To test them, see if you can poke one with a fork. If it goes through easily, they are ready.

Drain the potatoes and return them to a bowl. Add the cheddar, salt, pepper, and whatever else you want - potatoes are a blank canvas, so experiment with different things you like!

Mash the potatoes with either an electric mixer or some forks. I used two forks this time around and it was super easy.

I had extra cheesy potatoes at the end of this recipe,so feel free to use 4 potatoes instead of 5. I went ahead with 5 because I can't complain about leftover delicious mashed potatoes.

Done! Super simple. Onward to shaping your dough.

Step 3: Shaping the Dough

This is my favorite part about making perogies. It's really fun to do this with friends or family - or even alone like I did!

Get some flour and sprinkle it heavily over a flat, clean surface.

Split your dough in half. It's much easier to handle it in small chunks. Keep whatever you're not working with covered so that too much air won't get into the dough.

Roll out your dough to about 1/4" thick. If you don't have a rolling pin like me, you can use a glass or a wine bottle - just make sure it's smooth.

Punch out circles about 3" to 4" in diameter. I just used the glass I was using to roll with because it was convenient, but you can use cookie cutters, mason jar lids, whatever you got on hand that'll work. Combine your scrap dough together, roll it out, and continue to make dough circles. Repeat this process with the other half of the dough.

Step 4: Filling the Dough

Hopefully by now you haven't eaten all your cheesy mashed potatoes because it's time to fill your dough with them!

Drop about a tablespoon of filling onto each circle of dough.

Fold the dough over the filling into a semi-circle. Press the edges to create a dumpling.

Press the seam together with a lightly floured fork. This will ensure a tight seal and also give it that classic perogie look.

Step 5: Boil & Fry

Boil a pot of water and add 12 formed and sealed perogies. I usually add about 9 at a time, depending on the size of the pot.

Let them cook until they rise to the top, it usually takes about a minute.

Pull out the cooked perogies with a slotted spoon, and repeat the process until all your perogies are cooked.

If you're planning to freeze these for storage, let these cool and store them with an airtight bag. They will last about 5 months in a freezer this way.

If you're ready to serve, you can certainly eat these as is. However, I personally like mine a little more crispy so I fry them. At this point, you could also bake them in the oven if that is more your style.

I've fried this batch with a little butter over medium heat until golden brown on both sides.

Serve with sour cream, scallions, ketchup, whatever you want really! That's it - how simple was that? There are probably a thousand different variations of how to make perogies, so if you've got your own - or if you've made them using this recipe, feel free to post it below!