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Potato Dumplings
I grew up in a house where dumplings were
served often.
My father whom did all of our cooking didn't believe in
wasting
any food, so if there were potato's or cottage cheese left
over from the previous night, we knew dumplings would
be served that night. He never wrote down any of his
recipes, I only have the memory of watching him make
them over & over till I took over the cooking since
he wasn't able to anymore due to age & forgetfulness.
Dumplings can be served as a side dish or as a meal in
themselves.
You can either roll out the dough and make them uniform or
as I prefer just dropping them in the water with a spoon.
You can make this dough hours in advance & refrigerate
or cook them immediately. I have shown a few friends how
to make these and now they make them more then I do myself.
So give it a try & I'm sure you & your family will enjoy them
with many of your meals.
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Ingredients
3 cups water
1 egg
3 cups flour to start
1 cup of any of the following:
mashed potato flakes (uncooked), cottage cheese, or cooked
mashed potato's
To make basic dumplings, fill a large pot with water, about
3/4 full, Bring to a boil
and let it simmer till you start throwing in your noodles.
In a large bowl mix your water, egg & one of your types of
potato's, After it's mixed well start adding your flour a cup
at a time, the more flour you add it will get harder to stir
so start using your hands to mix the dough. Keep adding flour
till the dough doesn't stick to your hands anymore & form a
large ball.
If your going to drop the noodles into the water with a spoon
then your all set.
If you want to make more uniform noodles, take a chunk of
dough & on a floured surface, roll the dough into a log shape,
Then start slicing your noodles in an angle. The size is up to
you, just remember the thicker & larger these are it will need
to cook longer. Sprinkle flour over the noodles so they don't
stick together & place on a floured plate, Always sprinkle
with flour before placing any noodles on top of each other.
Bring your water back to boiling and start adding your
dumplings to the water.
Mix them gently with a wooden spoon so that they don't stick
together. If your using a spoon to drop them in & they stick
to the spoon, just gently shake them off in the water, they
will come off. Depending on your pot size you should be able
to cook them all at once. As soon as you see them coming to
the surface, lower your heat to medium & let them cook for 25
minutes uncovered. Stir every once in a while.
Once they're done, carefully pour them into a drainer in your
sink. Run cold water if the steam bothers you. Run cold water
over them for just a few seconds & stir them up, Let Drain.
Now you can either melt a stick of margarine or butter in the
microwave or on the stove, Place the dumplings in a large
serving bowl & pour the melted butter over them, Stir & Serve.
Or
In a large frying pan melt butter or margarine, add dumplings
& brown them up. This does take about 10 minutes or more and
will make them have a crunchier coating. Brown to your taste.
Serve.
Alternative dishes with Dumplings
In Stew: Make your dough ahead of time and drop them
into your stew during the last half hour of cooking, mix every
so often & you will see them coming to the top. Let them cook
slowly in your stew for at least 25 minutes after they come to
the top.
In Chicken Soup: Same as above.
Dumplings coated with Breadcrumbs: While your dumplings
are draining, in a small pan melt margarine or butter, when
completely melted, add breadcrumbs, just enough to absorb the
margarine, add some Seasoned salt, stir, and pour over your
dumplings in a serving dish. Stir Gently & Serve while hot.
Dumplings and Saurkraut: You will need to have your
saurkraut made already, My recipe for Polish saurkraut works
well with this. After boiling your dumplings, drain and place
in a large pan with melted butter or margarine, Mix in your
saurkraut, use as much as you want, Then just keep stirring
and heat thoroughly. Season to your taste and serve while it's
hot. A Great Side Dish.
**** This dough can be made up to 2 days in advance, just put
in a container & cover & keep refrigerated. Pull out & let sit
at room temperature for at least an hour before cooking.
Enjoy!
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Dough should be smooth & not stick to
your hands. |
Bring to a boil, reduce heat when they
float on top. |
Fried & covered with breadcrumb
mixture. |
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Thank You!
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