1898 Potato Dumplings
"From "The Galt Cookbook", published in 1898. I have adapted it slightly, by adding quantities and instructions. To my complete surprise these remind me a little of "Lo Bak Go", (Dim Sum popular at Chinese new years.) The good ladies of Galt are no doubt rolling in their graves, but I serve these with a good whack of chile-garlic sauce 'cause that's how I like my Lo Bak Go too. These are not the sort of thing to make from scratch, but from the leftovers of a ham-and-potato meal. They are easiest to mix if the potatoes are still warm, so set them on to poach as you clean up after dinner. Then, they can be fried up when you want them. Keep cakes wrapped in the fridge until ready to fry. They will keep for a couple days, so you don't have to fry all of them at once. I should also note that I use an unsalted smoked ham, so you may wish to reduce or eliminate the salt if your ham is salted."
- Ready In:
- 1hr
- Ingredients:
- 7
- Serves:
-
8
ingredients
- 3 cups mashed potatoes
- 1 cup chopped cooked ham
- 1 egg
- 1 cup flour
- 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 tablespoons ham fat or 2 tablespoons bacon fat
directions
- Set a large pot of salted water on to boil.
- Mix all the ingredients together well, except the fat. You should have a soft but moldable dough; you may need to mix in a little more flour. Divide the dough into 4 equal parts.
- Mold into flattish, rectangular cakes, about 2" thick.
- Gently place the cakes in the boiling water and simmer for 1/2 hour.
- Drain and let cool. It will fall apart if you try to slice it before it is cool.
- Cut in 1/2" thick slices and fry in bacon or ham fat, over medium heat, until nicely browned, on both sides.
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Reviews
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I wish I knew how to make this recipe work. The ham and potato combination is a simple pleasure and I was planning on frying the dumplings in bacon drippings. The first time I used Yukon potatoes that I had mashed with some milk so I have some for dinner that night. I found that flouring the counter and my hands made it easier to shape the dumplings and to pick them up because the dough was soft. They fell apart in the water and disintergrated. The second time, I used russets, no milk and extra flour - they fell apart when I tried to remove them from the water at the end of the cooking time and they either disintergrated or were mushy and gluey. I wonder if the dough should be kneaded or chilled? I would love to be able to make these come out right. Sorry Jenny.
RECIPE SUBMITTED BY
Jenny Sanders
Cambridge, Ontario
I love to garden, both perennials and vegetables. I am always looking for recipes to fiddle with, especially good simple vegetable dishes. I try to use organic ingredients as much as possible.
