Polish pierogi are filled dumplings, half-moons of soft dough wrapped around potato, cabbage, cheese or meat, boiled then optionally pan-fried in butter.

Polish immigrants arrived in Detroit in the 1880s, settling Hamtramck around the Dodge Main auto plant. Polish Village Cafe on Yemans Street has served pierogi since 1975; Srodek's Quality Sausage on Joseph Campau has cured kielbasa and folded pierogi by hand since 1957. Pierogi run by the dozen at Hamtramck Labor Day Festival and at New Palace Bakery. The canonical Detroit pierogi is potato-cheddar; cabbage and meat varieties round the menu.

Where to eat Polish pierogi in Detroit

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Make it at home

Serves 242 hrIntermediate

Ingredients

  • 400g all-purpose flour
  • 1 egg
  • 180ml sour cream
  • 100ml warm water
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • For filling: 4 medium potatoes (cooked), 150g sharp cheddar, 1 small onion (cooked in butter), salt and pepper
  • 60g butter for finishing
  • 1 onion, sliced thin, for the saute
  • Sour cream for serving

Method

  1. Mix flour, egg, sour cream, water and salt. Knead 8 minutes until smooth. Rest 30 minutes covered.
  2. Mash the cooked potatoes with grated cheddar, cooked onion, salt and pepper. Cool.
  3. Roll the dough thin (2 mm). Cut 3-inch rounds. Spoon a teaspoon of filling in the middle.
  4. Fold over into a half-moon; press edges firmly to seal. A fork crimp also works.
  5. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Drop pierogi in batches of 8; they float in about 3 minutes.
  6. Lift out with a slotted spoon. Saute sliced onions in butter until golden. Add the boiled pierogi and brown each side, about 2 minutes per side.
  7. Serve with the buttery onions and a dollop of sour cream.

Editor tip. Do not overfill; the dough must seal cleanly or pierogi burst in the water. The post-boil butter-onion saute is the editorial detail.

Common allergens: Gluten, Dairy, Egg.