Chef John's Cheater Pierogi

Name: Chef John's Cheater Pierogi
Prep time: 2 h 10 min
Cook time: 2 h 10 min
Total time: 2 h 10 min
Yield: 50
Cuisine: Eastern European, European
Ingredients: 4 slices bacon, chopped; 2 Tbsps bacon drippings; 2 teaspoons butter; 1 pinch cayenne pepper; 1 large egg; 355 milliliters farmers cheese, or any cheese blend; 59 milliliters chopped fresh chives; 50 servings salt and ground black pepper to taste; 237 milliliters sour cream; 1 Tbsp water; 1 yellow onion, diced; 5 mediums Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and halved

Chef John's Cheater Pierogi might be just the hor d'oeuvre you are searching for. This recipe serves 50. Watching your figure? This gluten free recipe has 44 calories, 2g of protein, and 3g of fat per serving. If you have cayenne pepper, water, farmer's cheese, and a few other ingredients on hand, you can make it. It is a cheap recipe for fans of Eastern European food. From preparation to the plate, this recipe takes approximately 2 hours and 10 minutes.

Instructions

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat.

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Butter

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Frying Pan

Add chopped bacon and onions; cook and stir until the bacon is crisp and the onions are browned, 6 to 8 minutes.

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Onion

Bacon

Remove bacon and onions to a small dish, reserving about 2 tablespoons of the bacon fat for frying the pierogi.

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Bacon

Onion

Place potatoes into a large pot and cover with salted water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until tender, about 20 minutes.

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Potato

Water

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Pot

Drain and mash until smooth. Allow to cool for 10 minutes. Season with salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper. Stir in 1 egg and farmer's cheese. Cover and refrigerate until chilled, about 30 minutes.

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Farmer Cheese