Want to eat like The Great One? Try Grandma Gretzky's perogy recipe

To most of us, “eating like an athlete” means lots of lean protein, leafy greens and a few unsalted almonds for snacking. Well, leave it to The Great One to turn that idea on its head with his famous family recipe for one of our fave comfort foods: perogies! This cheesy, potato-packed take on the Ukrainian staple has been in the Gretzky family for generations. While we can’t guarantee that these delicious dumplings will turn you or your little ones into NHL champions, you miss 100% of the perogies you don’t eat, so what are you waiting for?

Grandma Gretzky’s Great Perogies

By Wayne Gretzky

“This recipe was passed down to my family by my grandmother. It is of Ukrainian origin. It’s on the menu at my Toronto restaurant.”

Ingredients

Filling:

• 2 large potatoes
• 1 onion, whole
• 1 tsp butter
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• ½ cup cheddar cheese, grated
• Ground pepper

Pastry:

• 1 cup flour
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 dash salt
• ¼ cup boiling water

Cooking:

• ½ tsp salt
• 1 tbsp oil

Finishing:

• 1 tbsp butter
• 2 green onions, chopped
• Sour cream, to taste
• Paprika, to taste

Preparation

For filling:

Boil potatoes and whole onion until potatoes are fully cooked. Drain potatoes, discard onion and mash.

Sauté the chopped onions in butter until tender, but not browned.

Combine mashed potatoes, cheese and onion and mix well. Allow to cool.

For pastry:

Combine all ingredients for pastry and mix together until mixture forms a ball. Cover and let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Roll dough to about 3 mm thick. Cut in circles of approximately 7 cm diameter.

Place filling on half the circle, fold over and press edges together well, slightly dampening the edges with water to help seal, if necessary.

Fill a large saucepan ¾ full with water, add oil and salt for cooking and bring to a boil.

Add perogies and cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon to keep from sticking, for about 5 minutes (until they rise to the surface of the water). Remove with slotted spoon.

For finishing:

Saute in a frying pan with butter and chopped green onions for 2 minutes.

Garnish with sour cream and a dash of paprika.

From Canada's Culinary Heritage: 100 Recipes — 100 Celebrities published by Klorofil Publishing, reprinted with permission.