Magda's Cauldron

One of my pierogi workshop guests asked when we were making pierogi potato and cheese pierogi (ruskie), can I use sweet potatoes. And I just thought it was an amazing idea. As a pierogi instructor in Krakow, I love when students inspire new recipes like this one.

You see, talking about Polish food is tricky. Poles are as passionate about food as Italians. And as Italians, they like it when things are made a certain way, the old way. I’m a kind of person that always gathers cookbooks and food magazines and looks for new inspiration. Now I also dig into history, and whenever I look, I see nothing is original. All the recipes are some kind of borrowing from somebody else. Pierogi came from China. I love that it’s so easy to experiment in the kitchen.

So I just made you sweet potato and cheese pierogi. The kind I thought would fit nicely into a Thanksgiving table. But do they? We don’t celebrate Thanksgiving in Poland, and I only participated once when my friend’s American husband invited me for a celebration. Bringing pierogi to Thanksgiving will be such a great conversation starter. It’s a chance to share a bit of Polish culture while celebrating an American tradition, and that’s what food is all about, right?

The filling is super easy. Roasted sweet potato, Polish cheese twaróg, you can replace it with farmer’s cheese or ricotta and some seasoning. Blend it, put it into pierogi, boil it, and enjoy. I was imagining serving it with crispy sage leaves, but I didn’t find any.

So what do you think?

Sweet potato and cheese pierogi

• Servings: Makes around 10-15 dumplings
• Cook Time: 60 min roasting + 30 mins assembly & cooking
• Difficulty: Easy
• Print

Filling

• 1 small sweet potato
• 100 g twaróg (farmer’s cheese)
• 2-3 tablespoons of grated Parmesan
• pinch of grated nutmeg
• black pepper and salt

Dough

• 1 egg yolk
• 1 cup (about 125 g) all-purpose flour
• 40 ml hot water (add gradually)
• 1 Tbsp vegetable or sunflower oil

Filling

Preheat your oven to 350°F (170°C). Wash and dry your sweet potato. Prick it several times with a fork to allow steam to escape. Wrap it in a tin foil and roast for 50-60 minutes until the sweet potato is completely soft and tender when pierced with a knife. Remove from the oven and allow the sweet potato to cool. Once cooled, gently peel away the skin. Discard the skin and transfer the soft flesh to a medium-sized bowl. Mash the sweet potato with a fork until smooth. Add the twaróg, Parmesan, nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Mix thoroughly until well combined. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.

Dough

Make the dough:
Mix flour with egg yolk and oil. Slowly add hot water bit by bit while mixing. Knead gently until soft, pliable dough forms (don’t overwork). If time allows, then cover and let it rest for at least 30 minutes. The dough will be more pliable.

Form

Form the pierogi:
Roll dough thinly, cut into circles.

Spoon a sweet potato and cheese filling onto each circle, fold the dough over, and press the edges tightly with your fingers or a fork. Make sure the seal is tight.

Cook

Boil pierogi in salted water until they float to the surface (about 3-5 minutes).

Serve

Serve it with melted butter and crispy sage leaves. Enjoy!