Recipe courtesy of
Liza Zeneski
for
Food Network Kitchen
Recipe courtesy of
Liza Zeneski
for
Food Network Kitchen
Watch how to make this recipe.
Potato and Mushroom Vareniki
Getting reviews...
- Level: Intermediate
- Total: 2 hr 30 min
- Active: 2 hr
- Yield: 6 to 8 servings
-
- Nutritional Analysis
- Per Serving
- Serving Size
- 1 of 8 servings
- Calories
- 494
- Total Fat
- 25 g
- Saturated Fat
- 11 g
- Carbohydrates
- 56 g
- Dietary Fiber
- 4 g
- Sugar
- 6 g
- Protein
- 13 g
- Cholesterol
- 72 mg
- Sodium
- 758 mg
There’s something deeply comforting about a plate of homemade vareniki — soft dumplings stuffed with savory or sweet fillings that hail from Ukraine and Russia. Typically served with a generous spoonful of sour cream, this hearty version is filled with a potato-and-mushroom mixture that’s bound to bring everyone to the table. The seltzer water in the dough makes it elastic and smooth — it almost feels alive under your hands. The dumplings are finished with crispy bacon-like salo bites (shkvarki in Russian) and sweet onions slowly caramelized in the rendered salo fat. You can find salo at most Russian or Ukrainian stores, but you can skip it for a vegetarian version or swap in regular breakfast bacon. But I urge you to try vareniki with salo at least once. My grandfather used to say, “A home is not a home without salo in the fridge. Salo in the fridge — all is well.
- Level: Intermediate
- Total: 2 hr 30 min
- Active: 2 hr
- Yield: 6 to 8 servings
-
- Nutritional Analysis
- Per Serving
- Serving Size
- 1 of 8 servings
- Calories
- 494
- Total Fat
- 25 g
- Saturated Fat
- 11 g
- Carbohydrates
- 56 g
- Dietary Fiber
- 4 g
- Sugar
- 6 g
- Protein
- 13 g
- Cholesterol
- 72 mg
- Sodium
- 758 mg
Ingredients
Dough:
Filling and Toppings:
NEW: You can now switch to Cook Mode to keep your screen awake.
Directions
Special equipment:
a mandoline- For the dough: Combine the flour and 1/2 teaspoon salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Mix to combine. Add the egg, milk, seltzer and sour cream. Knead on medium speed until the dough comes together and is elastic, about 10 minutes (you could also knead the dough by hand). Wrap the dough in plastic and let rest in the fridge for 1 hour while you prepare the filling.
- For the filling and toppings: Place the potatoes in a small pot of water with 1 tablespoon salt. Bring to a boil over high heat, lower the heat until the water simmers rapidly and cook the potatoes until tender, 10 to 12 minutes. Drain and place in a medium bowl. While the potatoes are still hot, mash them with a potato masher until mostly smooth.
- Add the oil to a medium skillet and heat over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring frequently, until golden, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the garlic, chives, thyme and 3 tablespoons of butter. Mix to combine and continue to cook until the mushrooms are cooked through. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add the mushroom mixture to the mashed potatoes and mix well. Taste and season with salt and pepper to taste if needed. Cool the filling completely.
- Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside. Place the dough on a lightly floured surface. Divide it in half and cover half with a kitchen towel or wrap it back in the plastic. Roll out the other half until it is 1/16-inch thick. Using a 3-inch cookie cutter, cut out circles. Combine the scraps, roll them out again, and repeat the process until no scraps are left. Repeat with the other half of the dough.
- If necessary, stretch the circles back to 3 inches in diameter before filling (the dough is very elastic so the rounds may shrink as they sit). Place 1 tablespoon of the filling on a circle. Dip a finger in water and run it around the edges. Fold and seal the dumpling, making a half-moon shape. Use a fork to crimp the edges, making the crimps about 1/4-inch long. Place on a prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining rounds and filling; you should have about 50 dumplings. Keep the trays covered with a kitchen towel so the vareniki don’t dry out. Refrigerate the vareniki on the trays for about 30 minutes. You can also freeze your vareniki at this point until firm, transfer them to a resealable freezer bag and freeze for 5 to 6 months.
- While the vareniki rest, prepare the onions. Place the salo in a large skillet and cook over medium-low heat until fat has rendered and the diced salo is light golden and crunchy, about 15 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the bacon to a bowl lined with a paper towel. Discard all but 2 tablespoons of rendered fat in the skillet. Add the onions to the skillet and cook over low heat until they are golden brown, about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Do not season the onion with salt since the salo drippings will be salty. Add the remaining 4 tablespoons butter to the onions and cook until the butter melts, 1 to 2 more minutes.
- Bring 2 large pots of salted water to a boil (alternatively, you can cook the vareniki in 2 batches using just 1 pot). Divide the vareniki between the pots and boil until the dough is cooked through and the dumplings float, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the pots with a spider or a slotted spoon.
- To serve, place the hot vareniki on a platter, spoon caramelized onions with the butter all over them and sprinkle with crisp salo bites and dill. Serve with sour cream.
Cook’s Note
You can make the dough a day ahead. Wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and store in the fridge. If you’re making the recipe without salo or bacon, use an additional 2 tablespoons oil to cook the onions.
Looking for Something Else?
Related Pages
- Butter-Braised Cabbage Vareniki
- Farmer Cheese and Cherry Vareniki
- Lenten Pirogi and Bobalki
- Sweet Potato and Mushroom Lasagna
- Sweet Potato and Mushroom Carbonara
- Potato and Mushroom Gratin
- Potato and Mushroom Pierogies with Roasted Apples
- Grilled Sausage and Mushroom Toasts
- Cheesy Ham and Mushroom Strata