Aromatics Are Key For Flavorful Frozen Pierogi

Pierogi are among the top foodstuffs you can keep in your freezer, whether you made them yourself or bought them boxed. The classic Eastern European comfort food is killer with kielbasa, of course, but it also pairs with practically anything for a near-effortless weeknight dinner accompaniment. You can boil up a batch to serve with a bit of sauerkraut at lunch with little more effort than opening a yogurt. But the potato-stuffed dough is admittedly a little plain.

Enter: aromatics. Garlic, onions, shallots, and chives can all upgrade the otherwise frozen dinner with just a few little extra baby steps. You'll also need to eschew the pot of salted water in favor of a skillet and another known taste sensation, butter. Your own preferred cooking oil can also work in the event that you're avoiding dairy. Then, just chop the alliums, sauté until golden with the dumplings, and you'll end up with a dynamic dish that tastes like it took much longer to create.

Some folks prefer to boil and then sauté their pierogi for a totally controlled texture, but you can fry 'em up directly from frozen without much difference on the plate. This will take less than 10 minutes between each side over medium heat. You can probably get away with cooking your sliced onions for the same length to soften without burning (and they'll take a lot longer if you're aiming to caramelize them), but garlic will start to char much faster. Only introduce this aromatic in the final minute on the stove for the best effect.

You can also swap some of your standard stick with a compound butter to further amplify your flavors. It's easy to make at home using the same formula — 1 tablespoon of herbs, spices, or more alliums per ½ cup — that you'd use for a butter-basted steak. Just remember that whatever's in the mix will continue cooking in the pan, so you may need to start with the plain stuff and add your enhanced variety a little later to prevent scorching.