Photo: Jennifer Iserloh.

During grad school, when I wasn't busy studying or working my part-time job, I was all about entertaining. My favorite co-host was my cousin Frank, and he always had great ideas, including shortcuts to making complicated recipes without losing a lot of the taste or texture.

I'm sure that the experts from the famous Pierogie Plus, a 10-minute drive from my family's house, would swat me for not making the dough myself. But when I crave my favorite treat, I use wonton wrappers to make them, an idea my clever cousin Frank came up with.

In Pittsburgh, you grow up eating pierogies, those Eastern European dumplings that resemble a large, tender ravioli, minus the tomato sauce. Apparently, Pittsburghers eat 11 times the pierogies consumed in any other city in the U.S., and they even have an annual pierogie-eating contest.

When you taste them for the first time, you might be tempted to have your own eating contest. But to keep them waistline-friendly, I top the dumplings with homemade caramelized onions rather than loads of melted butter. The wonton wrappers are nearly fat-free, making them more delicate and a bit lighter, since the traditional dough has sour cream and quite a few egg yolks.

Pierogies

Serves 6

4 large onions, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 red potatoes (about 1 1/2 pounds), peeled and cubed
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup 1% buttermilk
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan
1 large shallot, minced
12-ounce package wonton wrappers
2 egg whites

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add the onions, brown sugar and salt and cook 4 to 5 minutes, until the onions begin to brown. Reduce the heat to medium-low heat and continue to cook the onions 20 to 25 minutes, adding a tablespoon of water occasionally to keep them from sticking to the pan.

Place the potatoes in large pot filled with cold water to cover, stir in the salt and bring to a boil. Cook 20 to 25 minutes until the potatoes are fork tender, then drain. Mash the potatoes with the buttermilk, cheddar cheese, Parmesan and shallot until smooth.

Place one teaspoon of the filling in the center of each wonton wrapper. Wet the two bottom edges of the wrapper with the egg whites and fold over the other side diagonally. Press the edges together to form a triangular dumpling.

At this point you can trim the edges to make a half moon shape or just boil the dumplings in a large pot of salted water, 2 to 3 minutes, until the dough is cooked through. Drain and serve immediately with caramelized onions.

Learn more about Jennifer at skinnychef.com, and read her exclusive Slashfood blogs every Monday and Friday.