Kartoffelkloesse (german Potato Dumplings)

"Just what the name implies - these are German-style potato dumplings, as found everywhere in the South of Germany, Austria and Bohemia. These are traditionally served with any roast with gravy, but most well-known as an accompaniment for a hearty Sauerbraten and red cabbage. Like polenta, second-day leftovers are a treat when sliced into slabs and fried in butter."
 
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photo by alenafoodphoto photo by alenafoodphoto
photo by alenafoodphoto
photo by Hiedi W. photo by Hiedi W.
photo by Lori Mama photo by Lori Mama
photo by Stephan J. photo by Stephan J.
photo by alenafoodphoto photo by alenafoodphoto
Ready In:
40mins
Ingredients:
9
Yields:
12 dumplings
Serves:
6
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ingredients

  • 1 12 lbs russet potatoes (about 2 large)
  • 1 12 teaspoons salt
  • 18 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 12 cup all-purpose flour (or more)
  • 18 cup cornstarch (or potato starch, much preferred, if you can get it)
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 slices sourdough bread or 2 slices white bread (good quality, not supermarket foam crap)
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
  • 1 tablespoon corn oil or 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
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directions

  • Trim crusts off bread and save them for another use.
  • Cut bread into 1/2-inch cubes and fry in butter and oil mixture until golden brown, transfer to paper towel to dry.
  • Cook scrubbed, unpeeled potatoes in large pot of boiling salted water until tender, about 45 minutes.
  • Drain.
  • Cool slightly.
  • Peel.
  • Cut potatoes into large pieces.
  • Refrigerate until cold, about 30 minutes.
  • Mash potatoes with fork or run through ricer into large bowl.
  • Mix in salt and nutmeg.
  • Add 1/2 cup flour and cornstarch.
  • Using hands, knead mixture in bowl until smooth dough forms, adding more flour by tablespoonfuls if dough is sticky.
  • Mix in egg.
  • Form dough into balls, using 1/4 cupful for each.
  • Insert bread cube into center of each dumpling; roll dumpling between palms to enclose bread cube completely and form smooth balls.
  • Working in batches, cook dumplings in large pot of nearly boiling salted water 10-15 minutes (or until dumplings rise to top).
  • Using slotted spoon, transfer dumplings to large bowl.
  • Keep covered with a damp kitchen towel as remaining dumplings are cooked.
  • You should place no more than 4-5 dumplings in your pot at any one time in order to prevent them from sticking together or touching during cooking, which will cause them to fall apart.

Questions & Replies

  1. Can I make this without the bread?
     
  2. I used this recipe once a couple of weeks ago. Turned out almost identical to ones I used to help make in an authentic German restaurant when I was a teenager. My question: Can you do all the prep work, roll them into balls, them put them into the refrigerator to heat and serve the following night?
     
  3. Where is the butter and oil used..? I added the egg after all ingredients were mixed. The egg made the mixture VERY sticky.
     
  4. Can these be made a day ahead?
     
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Reviews

  1. Grandpa Mueller always used red potatos, us kids peeled the night before and dropped the peeled potatoes in a can of cold water. Mother would boil 1/4 of the peeled potatoes and rice them and cover into fridge. Next day grandpa would grind up all of the peeled taters with his hand crank grinder. He would take the ground taters and put them in cloth sacks and then turn and squeeze out as much juice and starch as he could. Very hard work for him. After raw potatoes were squeezed he would put all those into a very large bowel,and add the riced potatoes, some eggs, salt, farina flour, can't remember much else, hand mix it all together and then begin rolling up the balls about baseball size, roll balls on news paper covering the table with more farina on the table. Lots of farina is ok, makes it all stick together. He would open the middle of the potato dumpling and put in a few bread crumbs, seasoned turkey dressing cubes work good. He get all the dumplings ready at once and careful ladle them into boiling stock pot he had ready to cook. They floated then sank to bottom, done 20 minutes later when the dumpling on its own rises to the surface. Then he would serve on a large serving tray, steaming hot with pork roast sour kraut, and gravy. God this was good!. Dumplings left over should be refrigerated overnight and then sliced and pan fried from next day breakfast, unbelievable! Taste sensation. Twice cooked dumpling. JJ Mueller of St. Paul Minnesota German immigrant to America
     
  2. After reading another review, I was afraid this may not be so great. SO GLAD I didn't listen to that review!! Yes, the prep time and cook time is longer than specified, but it's so worth the time! These are awesome!! I will definitely make them again and I highly recommend this recipe! Thanks!!
     
  3. my mom use to make these around thanksgiving and Christmas. she is gone I never got the recipe but I found it I hope. I'm going to try it but I know that there wasn't anything in the middle of the balls. for best results you must use old potatoes and pour gravy on them it is great.
     
  4. After reading numerous potato dumpling recipes, I chose this one because it seemed closest to the ones my mother-in-law used to make. I used white potatoes instead of russet but no other changes. I used the corn starch as I did not have potato flour. I make sauerbraten for my husband from time to time but was never brave enough to attempt the dumplings. He and his sister both agreed the dumplings were awesome. Thanks for a new favorite that's easy to prepare.
     
  5. Bottom line - a great little dumpling. Prep and cooking were simple, but took a little longer than expected - next time (there will be one) I will cook and rice the potatoes a day before, or prepare this recipe on a "cooking for the freezer" day (I did freeze the leftovers - will update on that when we use them). My husband has celiac disease so I substituted a rice based "all purpose" flour so the dumplings would be gluten free, & have potato starch in my gluten free baking closet, so did use that. We also live above 7,000 feet in elevation so I made smaller dumplings - about 1/8 cup - to compensate for the lower boiling temp. Despite the adaptations I needed to make, the dumplings were a winner at dinner!
     
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Tweaks

  1. Substituted Italian herbs & sage for nutmeg. Also, I chopped up my bread cubes and mixed them in with all other ingdts. Awesome results.
     
  2. I had to wash the sticky dough off my hands to create a nice smooth ball.
     

RECIPE SUBMITTED BY

Who am I: A Swiss-trained professional chef de cuisine, also a talented graphic artist who lives on Boston's South Shore.
 
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