Pittsburgh Pierogie Cups

This is a Ralph Melton original recipe. I was a tester for the recipe directions when he submitted it to the Pillsbury Bake-Off. They are very tasty.

Ingredients

• 1 2/3 cups water
• 2 1/2 Tbsp butter
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 2/3 cups mashed potato flakes
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 2 Tbsp bacon bits
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1 (12-oz.) can refrigerated biscuit dough

Directions

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Grease 10 muffin cups.
3. Combine water, butter, and salt in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil.
4. Remove from heat and stir in mashed potato flakes.
5. Stir in sour cream, cheese, bacon bits, and pepper.
6. Separate dough into 10 biscuits, placing each one inside a greased muffin cup. Firmly press the bottom down and pull the sides up, leaving a 1/4 inch rim of biscuit around each cup. (This can be tricky; don't be afraid to be rough with the dough.)
7. Spoon about 1/4 cup potato mixture into each biscuit-lined cup.
8. Sprinkle each cup with paprika.
9. Bake at 400 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes or until edges of biscuits are golden brown.
10. Cool at least 5 minutes before eating.

Variations

• Add some minced chives to the potatos along with the bacon bits.