Step 1

Boil the potatoes in a pot of salted water, until soft enough to mash (about 15-20 minutes). Drain and mash the potatoes, transfer to a large bowl, set aside to cool.

Step 2

Dice the onions, finely chop the garlic.

Step 3

Heat the oil in a large frying pan, add the onion, cook over medium-low heat about 8 minutes until translucent.

Step 4

Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for another minute. Add the content of the pan to the potatoes.

Step 5

Spinach: if using baby spinach – just wash the leaves. If you have larger and thicker leaves – you need to wash them and cut off the hard stems. Add the spinach to the pan, cook until wilted - baby spinach will be wilted very quickly, in about 1 minute, thicker and larger leaves need a few minutes. Lightly squeeze out the water, chop it finely, add to the potatoes and onion.

Step 6

Crumble the feta cheese over the filling.

Step 7

Season the filling with salt, freshly grounded black pepper, oregano and nutmeg. Mix together until well combined. Make sure that the filling is not too dry (in that case you can add a little water, in my filling a bit of moisture came from the spinach).

Step 8

If you're making the dough by hand, you should wear gloves!

Step 9

Sift the flour and salt together into a large mixing bowl.

Step 10

In a small saucepan warm the beetroot juice and water. When they are very warm (but not boiling) take the pot off the heat and add the butter, stir until melted, then pour into the flour.

Step 11

Mix with a wooden spoon until combined, then knead with your hands or with a stand mixed fitted with the hook attachment for about 5 minutes or until the dough is soft and elastic (when it's not, try adding a little bit more water or flour).

Step 12

Cover the bowl with cling film, set aside and leave to rest for at least 30 minutes.

Step 13

Divide the dough into smaller portions. Thinly roll out the dough onto a lightly floured surface to a thickness of 2-3 mm / 1/8-1/12 inch (or as thick as you like). Cut out rounds with a pastry cutter or a glass. Place a teaspoon of the filling in the center of each dough circle, then fold the edges together to create a semi-circular dumpling, pressing the edges together to seal. Do not leave any gaps or pierogi may open during cooking. If the dough sticks to your hands, sprinkle it gently with flour. If the dough is hard to roll out, leave it for a while to rest. Gather scraps, reroll and fill. Repeat with remaining dough. Place the pierogi apart on a towel sprinkled with flour.

Step 14

Bring a large pot of slightly salted water to a boil. Drop in the pierogi about 10 at a time. When they float to the water surface cook them for 2 minutes then remove from the water with a slotted spoon and transfer onto a plate (cooking time depends on the dough thickness and the size of the dumplings).

Step 15

Drizzle with melted butter and enjoy!