If I had a photo, I would most certainly use it. That is... unless the photo I have sucks. For now, you'll just have to picture a big heaping helping of
At the same time, start cooking the bacon in a non-stick pan – cook until crispy then remover from pan, but leave a couple tablespoons of grease
Boil the potatoes until tender, drain water but save about a cup
Rice potatoes into a bowl and add the cheese, salt, and half the onions (which at this point should be starting to caramelize, but not have too much color)
Put remaining onions back on the heat, add a pinch of salt & pepper and smoked paprika – mix well and continue cooking until nicely caramelized, about another 5-10 minutes
To make the dough, add the flour, egg and 1/2 tsp of salt into a processor, pulse a couple times, then turn on adding only as much of the potato water to get it to come together
Put on a floured surface and knead until smooth – adding a little more flour if it feels too wet
Cut the dough in half, and roll out one half to approximately 1/8 inch thick
Using a glass, or a pastry circle cutter, cut out circles, put a couple teaspoons of the potato mixture in the center, and fold dough over to enclose – if necessary, lightly moisten the edges of the circle with potato water to help seal the edge
If you’re making many, put them on parchment and cover lightly with a towel until ready to cook
To cook them, bring a large pot of water to a boil and add the pierogies – not too many to overcrowd though
The pierogies will come up and float when they are ready
I like to drain them slightly, then put then into the pan the bacon was cooked in to get a little crispy and golden
Serve sprinkled with bacon, the caramelized onions and some sour cream
