Ancient Red Fife Pierogies with Sage Infused Pasture-Raised Bacon

I was always really drawn to pierogies as a kid, but somehow I haven’t considered making them myself until yesterday. It was a long and arduous task, but well worth it because as it turns out, nothing beats homemade organic pierogies. Oh man. A crispy outer layer complements the pillowy, chewy softness of the potato filling and the slight tang of the yogurt red fife dough. Well-sourced dairy and gluten in the context of a pro-metabolic framework? Get at me.

Potatoes:

• 2 pounds organic potatoes, boiled, peeled and riced (or blended in a food processor with a splash of spring water)

• 1 tbsp sea salt

• filtered water, to boil

Filling:

• 1 tbsp grass-fed butter

• 2 tbsp organic onion, minced

• 1/3 cup grated raw cheese

• 1 scoop grass-fed collagen (optional)

• sea salt and organic black pepper, to taste

Dough:

• 2-2.5 cups organic red fife or other ancient grain flour (I used a random mixture of local permaculturally grown red fife and organic AP flour)

• 1 large pasture-raised egg

• 1 tsp sea salt (to taste)

  1 cup grass-fed water buffalo yogurt (or other regeneratively grass-fed yogurt)

Possible garnishes:

• caramelized organic onions

• regeneratively pasture-raised, nitrate-free, naturally wood smoked bacon bits

• crispy garden sage cooked in the bacon lard

• organic green onions, sliced

• organic chives, sliced

• organic cucumbers, cubed

• a dollop of the grass-fed water buffalo yogurt

Wholesome cheesy potatoes. Need I say more?

Make the filling:

1. In a bowl, mix the riced potatoes, onion, cheese, salt and pepper into an even filling. Set aside.

Make the dough:

1. Sift the flour into a medium bowl and make a well in the middle. Scramble the egg if you like. Place the egg, salt and yogurt in the middle of the flour, then stir or knead the dough into a well-mixed ball. If it gets too watery, add more flour. If it gets too dry, add a bit of spring water. Slice the ball of dough cleanly in half and chill it in a bowl in the fridge for 20 minutes.

Make the pierogies:

1. Sprinkle some flour over your workspace to keep the dough from sticking. With a rolling pin, roll out one of the chunks of dough about 1/8 inch thick, flipping as needed and sprinkling more flour to keep it from sticking to the workspace. With a 2-inch cookie cutter or drinking glass, make circles in the dough.

2. Spoon 1 1/2 tsp of potato filling in the middle of each circle. Fold the dough in half to form a half-moon shape and pinch the edges together.

3. As you work, place the pierogies on one layer on a baking tray sprinkled with a bit of flour. Cover them with a towel to keep them from drying, if you like.

4. Gather the flour scraps, re-roll, and repeat to finish all the dough.

Boil the pierogies:

1. Bring a large, shallow saucepan to a boil with 1 tbsp sea salt. Place the pierogies in, one at a time, making sure they don’t overlap and stick. Boil 6-10 at a time. Once the batch rises to the surface, boil to cook a few more minutes (5-6 more minutes total).

2. Use a slotted spoon to lift one out and taste one, if you like. If done, move them to a serving platter greased with butter or coconut oil to avoid sticking. Serve and enjoy right away OR chill them in the fridge first and lightly pan fry them in bacon fat with a few leaves of sage or other herbs to get that amazing cri$py texture. The pierogies can also be air fried or roasted without the need for boiling, if you swing that way.

3. Serve the pierogies with caramelized onions, grass-fed skyr, homemade sauerkraut, pasture-raised, nitrate-free bacon, crispy sage leaves, black pepper, or anything else you can think of.