Recipe: Pierogi and Bratwurst with Roasted Vegetables

I believe I have mentioned before that Himself is of Bohemian extraction and brought to our union several concepts which were utterly unfamiliar to me (like making sauerkraut - who knew?).  Before we met, this New England girl wouldn't have known a pierogi if one had jumped down my blouse. 

Yesterday was a fussy kitchen day so I made mine from scratch using this dough recipe and a filling of mashed russet potatoes and a bit of shredded Cheddar.  If you use the frozen kind this would go together with very little effort; it's just a matter of timing everything to get done at once. 

Seriously, you must try this. 

Pierogi and Bratwurst with Roasted Vegetables

24 pierogi with potato & cheddar filling
1 lb. whole button mushrooms, cleaned and trimmed
2 large yellow onions, sliced lengthwise and cut in 1/2" wedges
1 head garlic, cloves separated and peeled
10 oz. baby spinach
6 Roma tomatoes, halved
Olive oil
6 bratwurst
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan
Salt & pepper

Cook the pierogi, drain and set aside.

Heat oven to 425.  On one baking sheet, spread the mushrooms, onions, and garlic.  On a second baking sheet, spread the spinach and tomatoes.  Drizzle all the vegetables with olive oil and toss to coat.  The mushrooms and onions take longer to roast so put those in the oven first, turning every now and then.  Put the spinach in when the mushrooms look about 15 minutes from done.  Keep stirring everything periodically.

Meanwhile, heat two tablespoons of butter in a large covered skillet over medium heat and brown the bratwurst well on all sides.  Reduce heat to low, cover and cook until done; remove, cover and keep warm. 

In the same skillet over medium heat, brown the pierogi on both sides.  Work in batches, removing the browned pierogi to keep the bratwurst company as you go.  When all the pierogi are browned, add the chicken broth and cream to the skillet, along with a bit of salt and pepper; turn heat to high and scrape the skillet to stir up the brown bits and reduce the liquid a bit.  Stir in the Parmesan.

Return the bratwurst, all the pierogi and accumulated juices to the skillet, reduce heat to very low, cover and simmer to reheat.

When the vegetables are done, turn them all into a large bowl and season with salt and pepper. 

Serve the bratwurst and pierogi drizzled with the cream sauce, with the roasted vegetables alongside.

Serves 6.