My son has been on a meat-filling-cooked-in-dough kick recently, so we have been making a lot of calzones, strombolis, and all sorts of variations of piecrust-covered meat pies. I probably should not have been surprised when he asked me to help him create a meat and potatoes version of a pierogi. Although different from the traditional pierogi, which I have been told usually contains cheese, the filling of this version is very simple, incorporating meat, potatoes, onion, salt, and pepper.

The dough is worth taking a little time to make from scratch, and has the most amazing gummy texture (think bagels) after first being boiled before then being fried or (the option we chose) baked. I have made these several times over the past few weeks, and have substituted ground turkey for the venison, and dried and canned potatoes for freshly-made mashed potatoes with excellent results. Will’s current favorite variation, though, is this version. I hope you enjoy it as much as he does! 

Ingredients:

 Dough:
o 2 eggs
o 2 Tablespoons plain yogurt
o 1 cup milk
o 3 ½ cups of whole-wheat flour (all-purpose can also be used)
o 1 teaspoon salt

 Filling:
o 1 pound ground venison (ground beef, chicken, or turkey can also be used)
o 1 small onion
o 2 cups prepared mashed potatoes
o Salt and pepper to taste

Directions: 

Prepare Dough:

1. Combine eggs, yogurt, and milk, and whisk together thoroughly.
3. Add the flour and salt, and stir to combine.
4. Set aside while filling is made.

Make Filling:

1. In a skillet, cook ground venison and onions until browned.
2. Remove from heat and let sit for around 10 minutes to cool slightly.
3. To the skillet of onions and ground venison, add mashed potatoes, salt,
and pepper. Stir to combine.

Pierogi Assembly:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Line baking tray with parchment
paper and set aside.
2. Fill a large pot 2/3 with water, and heat on high (bring to a boil).

3. On a floured surface, roll dough out to around ½ inch thickness. Using a
biscuit cutter or the floured rim of a glass, cut rounds of the dough and set
aside.
4. Use a teaspoon to spoon filling into the center of the dough circle, and
then pinch edges together, creating a half-moon shape.
5. Repeat until all dough and filling has been used.
6. Carefully add pierogis to the boiling water (I used a wide slotted spoon to
drop them in one at a time), and cook for around 10-15 minutes, or until they
float to the top.
7. Carefully remove pierogis from boiling water and place on baking tray,
making sure to not overlap edges.
8. Bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for around 7 minutes, or until the dough is
lightly browned.
9. A side note that if you prefer to fry your pierogis, you can alternatively
NOT bake them, and instead quickly fry them in cooking oil, until the dough
is lightly browned. You can also quickly fry them and then bake them. Will
likes them fried, fried and baked, and baked, but he likes them just baked the
best.
10. Remove and enjoy!

*Recipe adapted from Momsdish

Photo at top: Will’s Venison and Potato Pierogis. Photo provided by MB Mitcham.