Silvan Goddin 
Potato Ramp Pierogi!
I had never eaten a pierogi until I moved to Pittsburgh but as a major potato fan it was love at first bite. Around here people take them very seriously so I knew I needed to develop a good recipe to combine the cultural history of this region with one of its most delicious foraged ingredients- ramps. These take a little time to assemble but it's the perfect project for a group (pierogi party!) and it's easy to make a large batch and freeze some for later.
Ingredients
Dough
- 4 cups flour
- 2 large eggs
- 8 Tbsp butter
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 tsp salt
Filling
- 4-5 large russet potatoes enough to make 2 cups of mashed potatoes
- 2 Tbsp butter
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 8 oz sharp cheddar cheese grated
- 1 bunch ramps about 12 leaves
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Mix the flour, salt, and eggs together until well combined (it will be very crumbly).
- Add the sour cream and butter and mix well. Knead the dough without adding more flour until it forms a smooth, slightly sticky ball. Cover with plastic and refrigerate for 30-60 minutes while you prepare the filling.
- Peel the russet potatoes and boil until a fork goes into them easily. Drain then add butter and sour cream a little at a time until you have fluffy mashed potatoes. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Chop the ramps into fine ribbons and stir into the mashed potatoes along with the grated cheddar.
- Roll out your pierogi dough. I find it’s easiest to section into quarters, grabbing one to work with at a time and leaving the rest under the plastic so they don’t start to dry out. Roll out to about 1/8 inch thickness and then cut into circles about 2 inches in diameter (though you can go bigger or smaller depending on your pierogi size preference!). A beer glass or other thin-walled drinking glad works well for this.
- Remove the excess dough around your circles. You can form a ball with this and re-roll it at the end to make more.
- Add about 2 tsp of filling to the center of one of the circles and fold over into a half moon shape. Pinch closed with your fingers and then seal by pressing the edges with the tines of a fork. Repeat for all of the dough.
- To cook the pierogi, bring a wide pot of salted water to a boil and drop in several pierogi, leaving enough space that they aren’t touching each other. When they float to the top of the water, remove to a colander. To serve, sauté in oil or butter until lightly brown, throwing in some more of the finely chopped ramps at the end. They are delicious with sour cream, sauerkraut, and apple sauce!
- This recipe makes a lot of pierogi so you’ll probably want to save some in the freezer. To do this, blanch the pierogi by quickly dunking them in the boiling water for about 30 seconds and then removing to drain. Place in a single layer on a baking sheet and put in the freezer to freeze solid. Now you can put them in a freezer bag to store longterm.