pierogie shells

How To Make pierogie shells

• Step 1
  Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Step 2
  In large pot, bring 6 quarts water to a boil. Cook shells, uncovered, for 5-6 minutes; drain well in colander. The shells should just be soft enough to 'flex' them, not cooked tender. Set aside.
• Step 3
  Peel and cook potatoes until tender; drain well, return to pan and heat a few minutes to eliminate any excess moisture.
• Step 4
  Mash potatoes well; add sour cream, onions, shredded cheese, salt & pepper. Using an electric mixer, blend and mix in the cheese. Let set for about 5-10 minutes so cheese melts into potatoes and stir again to make sure it’s well combined.
• Step 5
  In 13” x 9” x 2” pan or baking dish, place the half stick of butter; set pan in oven a few minutes to melt the butter. Remove from oven and set aside.
• Step 6
  Fill each shell with potato mixture just even to top. Repeat with all shells and arrange in prepared pan.
• Step 7
  Thinly slice the medium onion and separate into rings; just sprinkle them over tops of shells and top with remaining butter pats. Bake @ 350°F, covered with foil, for about 25 min.; then remove foil and bake 5-10 min longer uncovered.
• 
  Step 8
  Serve w/ additional sour cream for topping, if desired. I also sometimes use French Onion Dip in place of sour cream; it gives a little zip to it! To Freeze: Put slightly cooled shells in zipper-style freezer bags or containers. They will not stick together too much, but you can add a little olive oil (few drops only) to help them stay separated.
• Step 9
  Try this cheese blend for an alternative...it's good! https://www.justapinch.com/recipe/candy-hummer/diy-mexican-cheese-blend/quick-easy-vegetarian-healthy-mexican-for-kids?k=DIY+MEXICAN+CHEESE+BLEND&fc%5B0%5D=0&p=1&o=r
• 
  Step 10
  NOTE: I do another version of these shells, filling is sauerkraut, chopped bacon & mushrooms...chop 1/2 lb bacon & cook til crisp; drain & set aside. Clean and chop 6 oz. cremini mushrooms. Drain a small can of kraut, put in nonstick skillet & heat through, adding in bacon & mushrooms. I put a thin layer of the kraut mixture in bottom of casserole, then fill shells with mixture and bake, covered, for about 30 minutes. Pictures are included here...enjoy! It's a really nice change from the ordinary!
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