Spices, Glorious Spices

    Personally, when it comes to garlic I enjoy it on your standard garlic bread, garlic knots, and white pizza.  

 

    A not so common garlic meal combo that I enjoy are garlic mashed potatoes. I guess you can say my taste in food revolving around garlic tend to be quite bland and also oddly all around the same color.

To change the topic in a direction I am more passionate, I must introduce my favorite food. Pierogies. Pierogies are polish fried dumplings that can have potatoes, cheese and potatoes, meat, strawberries, lentils, mushrooms, spinach and garlic, smoked cheese and cranberry, etc. The most common filling is just potato. Garlic is not used in this dish; however onion powder is. But what is onion powder? Onion powder is a seasoning made from dehydrated ground onions according to Google. This spice has the concentrated onion flavor without the moisture and bulk of the onion bulb itself. During the process of making pierogies, onion powder is used during the frying portion of many recipes. This spice is what gives pierogies their distinct taste. If you are interested in what pierogies taste like or how to make them, I have included a recipe below.

Ingredients:

DOUGH

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt

2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 cup plain full fat greek yogurt
1 egg
FILLING

4 russet potatoes, peeled and quartered
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese, plus more for topping
2 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
kosher salt and pepper
ROSEMARY BUTTER (OPTIONAL)

1 stick butter
1-2 cloves garlic, minced or grated (to your taste)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary

Instructions:

1. 1. To make the dough. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, salt, butter, yogurt, and egg, and mix until combined. Knead the dough for 2-3 minutes. Cover and let sit 30 minutes.

   2. To make the filling. In a large pot of cold water, bring the potatoes to a boil. Salt the water and cook until the potatoes are tender, about 20 to 30 minutes.

   3. Drain the potatoes, return the potatoes to the pot and mash over low heat, or mash in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, adding the butter and cheddar cheese. Season to taste with salt and pepper. 

   4. Roll the dough out onto a floured surface to 1/8 inch thickness. Using a biscuit cutter, cut out 3-inch circles. Spoon 2 teaspoons of filling into the center of each round. Brush the edges with water and fold half of the dough over the filling to enclose it. Press down the edges to seal, pressing out all the air. Be sure to keep the dough covered as you work work to prevent from drying out. At this point, the pierogies can be flash frozen on a baking sheet for 30 minutes, then transferred to a freezer bag and frozen for up to 3 months. 

   5. When ready too cook, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Boil the pierogies in batches for 1-2 minutes, or until they float. Drain.

   6. To make the butter sauce. In a large skillet, brown the butter over medium heat, stirring often until the butter is golden and toasted. Add the rosemary and garlic and cook 30 seconds to a minute or until fragrant. Remove from the heat. Season with salt and pepper. 

   7. Divide the pierogies among plates and spoon the butter over the pierogies. Top with cheddar and parsley. EAT!

Things to Note:

Prep time -> 1 hour

Cook time -> 30 minutes

Total Time -> 1 hour 30 minutes

Servings -> 40 pierogi

Calories -> 77kcal