Maybe it’s just a symptom of the times, but I’m typically not a potato-unless-it’s-a-french-fry-fan… and all the sudden I’ve been craving potatoes in all different ways!
I remembered eating frozen cheese & potato pierogi as a kid and how buttery and comforting they were. I wanted to recreate them, but honestly didn’t feel like going through the effort to make the dough and wrappers. It occurred to me that I had wonton wrappers in the freezer and figured I’d give them a shot.
They came out delicious!! While the wrapper is definitely thinner than a traditional pierogi, I thought they were really tasty. Going forward, I’m using wontons as a shortcut for my pierogi wrappers every time lol.
These pierogi are warm and filling. They’re cooked in butter and then served with sour cream. In the words of Ina Garten, “how bad can that be?”. Not bad at all, Ina…not bad at all.
(The yogurt, onion powder, and salt and pep are missing in this pic… whoops)
First you’ll need to cook and mash your potatoes. Peel the potatoes and cut them into quarters. Place them in a pot and add cold water with about an inch of water over the potatoes. Add in about a teaspoon of salt.
Cook over low heat for about 20-25 minutes or until the potatoes are very easily pierced with a fork. Strain the potatoes and add them to a large bowl. Mash the potatoes until they’re a cohesive mashed texture all throughout.
While the potatoes cool, gather your other ingredients, and add your egg white into a small bowl.
In the bowl with the potatoes, add in the cheddar, yogurt, cream cheese, salt, onion powder and pepper. Mix to incorporate evenly.
Now you’re ready to fill the wontons. I find it easiest to lay out the wontons first in an even layer and then fill them all. I used a cookie sheet for my production and it worked well!
Scoop about 2 teaspoons of filling into the center of each wonton wrapper.
Then, dip your finger into the egg white, and focusing on one wonton at a time, evenly spread it along the entire outside edge of the wrapper. Bring two opposite corners of the wonton together to form a triangle, and then pinch the two edges so they have a seam.
If you have too much filling and it seeps through the edges, the filling will come out, so make sure you don’t fill them too much.
Continue until you’ve filled all of your wontons. I work in groups of 12, and place the finished wontons on a plate in the fridge while I’m working. Depending on how chonky I’m making mine I usually get around 45.
In a pan, melt 1 tablespoon of butter (for a batch of about 10-12). You want the wontons in an even layer in the pan, but not overcrowded – so adjust accordingly if you have a smaller or larger pan.
Cook over medium-high heat for about 3-4 minutes on the first side, until they’re lightly brown. Then flip each wonton to brown the other side, another 3 minutes.
Place into a covered serving dish to keep warm while you finish cooking the rest of the wontons.
Serve them warm with sour cream and scallions, and enjoy!
Makes: between 40-50
Prep: 30 minutes, Cook: 1 hour, Total: 90 minutes
- 2 large russet potatoes
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt (for the potato water)
- 1 cup shredded cheddar
- 1/4 cup Greek yogurt
- 4 tablespoons cream cheese
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 egg white
- 1 package (about 50) wonton wrappers
- Butter, for cooking
- Sour cream and scallions, for serving
First you’ll need to cook and mash your potatoes. Peel the potatoes and cut them into quarters. Place them in a pot and add cold water with about an inch of water over the potatoes. Add in about a teaspoon of salt.
Cook over low heat for about 20-25 minutes or until the potatoes are very easily pierced with a fork. Strain the potatoes and add them to a large bowl. Mash the potatoes until they’re a cohesive mashed texture all throughout.
While the potatoes cool, gather your other ingredients, and add your egg white into a small bowl.
In the bowl with the potatoes, add in the cheddar, yogurt, cream cheese, salt, onion powder and pepper. Mix to incorporate evenly.
Now you’re ready to fill the wontons. I find it easiest to lay out the wontons first in an even layer and then fill them all. I used a cookie sheet for my production and it worked well!
Scoop about 2 teaspoons of filling into the center of each wonton wrapper. Then, dip your finger into the egg white, and focusing on one wonton at a time, evenly spread it along the entire outside edge of the wrapper. Bring two opposite corners of the wonton together to form a triangle, and then pinch the two edges so they have a seam.
If you have too much filling and it seeps through the edges, the filling will come out, so make sure you don’t fill them too much.
Continue until you’ve filled all of your wontons. I work in groups of 12, and place the finished wontons on a plate in the fridge while I’m working. Depending on how chonky I’m making mine I usually get around 45.
In a pan, melt 1 tablespoon of butter (for a batch of about 10-12). You want the wontons in an even layer in the pan, but not overcrowded – so adjust accordingly if you have a smaller or larger pan.
Cook over medium-high heat for about 3-4 minutes on the first side, until they’re lightly brown. Then flip each wonton to brown the other side, another 3 minutes.
Place into a covered serving dish to keep warm while you finish cooking the rest of the wontons.
Serve them warm with sour cream and scallions, and enjoy!
Crunchy Salty Sweet 