on the table

from Westerville Magazine March/April 2020

living

Linda Laine shares a family recipe Pass the Perogies, Please!

Today we’re welcomed into Westerville Garden Club’s Publicity Chair Linda Laine’s kitchen. What’s for dinner? Laine’s Westerville-famous homemade perogies.

“My grandma had a big family, so she was always cooking these big meals,” Laine says. “She taught me how to make them when I was 8 years old.”

She suggests this mashed potatostuffed pasta for rainy days. She makes extra dough and freezes it so she can whip up a batch whenever the craving calls. Laine recommends dipping finished perogies in sour cream or frying them with onion.

Linda Laine’s Perogies

Recipe courtesy of Linda Laine.

Dough ingredients • 4 cups of flour • 2 eggs • 1 Tsp. salt • 1 2 ⁄ 3 cup cold water

Potato filling ingredients • 3 or 4 golden potatoes • ¾ cup of butter • Kraft Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese • ½ cup chopped onions Directions for dough Put flour into a mixing bowl and make a small hole in the middle so there’s a well. Add two eggs and at least a cup of water. Mix together. Add more water if needed. Knead the dough until it feels silky. Ball up the dough. Put flour into a plastic bag, put the dough inside and let sit for an hour. Take out and knead one more time, put it back in the bag, and let sit for another 15 minutes.

Directions for potato filling Place potatoes in a large saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 10-15 minutes or until tender. While potatoes are boiling, use a skillet to sauté onions in butter until tender. Drain potatoes. Over low heat, stir potatoes until steam has evaporated. Drain so there's no water left - you don't want any moistness. Use a blender or hand-mash potatoes. Add cheese, salt, pepper and onions.

Directions for perogies Press dough flat onto floured surface. Laine doesn't use a roller, she creates a nice round circle instead. Cut dough into triangle shapes and put into the palm of your hand. Ball up cooled potato filling and press into dough. Wrap in half and pinch all the way around so that the perogie is sealed. Place wrapped perogies onto wax paper-covered cookie sheet. Boil a pot of water (no approximate amount of water) and put perogies in. Once they are done, they’ll float to the top of the water. Put a bit of butter into a bowl and pour perogies in to cover. Serve with sour cream is desired.