German Potato Dumplings -½ and ½ Potato with-Smoked Pork Belly & Herbs
*Serves 6
INGREDIENTS:
1 ½ Kg. Russet potatoes (they need to be a floury baking potato) *Divided into two portions (1 portion for boiling and 1 portion kept raw for grating)
3 Tsps. Salt
100g Smoked Pork Belly or Smoked Bacon chopped very small
2 Onions
1-2 Tbsp. Flour (all purpose)
1 Egg
1 good pinch Nutmeg (if you fine grate it yourself the flavour is better)
1 Tbsp. Parsley, chive and dill (you can use dry dill if you can’t get fresh) all finely chopped
METHOD:
Thinly peel the potatoes, wash in cold water and weigh out about 500g and cut into quarters. *Reserve the rest of raw potatoes for grating.
Add 1 Tsps. salt to 1 litre cold water and bring to the boil, add the quartered potatoes, cover and cook for 30 minutes until knife inserted shows them tender.
Line a bowl with a clean dish towel, add some cold water about 1/2 cup and grate the remaining raw potatoes into it. Then gather up the towel corners and firmly squeeze the potatoes until only the water is left in the bowl and the starch settles to the bottom (reserve water). Place raw potatoes into another bowl. Drain cooked potatoes and let air dry a little, then put through a potato ricer into the bowl with the raw potatoes.
Carefully drain the reserved water from the bowl into a smaller bowl DO NOT DISCARD while (making sure not to lose the potato starch in the process) add the starch back into the cooked/raw potato mixture now.
Start a pot of 4 litres of cold water bring almost to a boil with the remaining salt and keep ready on the stove while cooking bacon and onions.
Chop the bacon and/or pork belly add to a pan and sauté until nicely browned
Add the chopped onions to the pan and sauté until lightly golden in colour turn off and set aside.
Add the flour, egg, 1 tsps. salt, and nutmeg to the potato mixture and gently kneed together, (adding some reserve potato water if necessary). Add the bacon and onions and the herbs to the mixture and work it all together by hand.
Bring the 4 litres of water to a boil and using a soup spoon make a small dumpling demo ball of the mixture, gently drop into the boil water reduce heat and simmer 25 minutes. If you see the dumpling breaking up take it out with a slotted spoon and add 1Tbs flour to the mixture and incorporate it well.
If the demo dumpling stays together and floats nicely to the surface, form the rest of the potato mixture and wetting your hand with cold water form medium size balls gently but firmly and drop one by one into the water, bring the water to a quick boil and immediately turn down to simmer again.
Simmer dumplings uncovered for 25-30 minutes until they all float to the surface. Remove with a slotted spoon unto a warm plate as pictured.
These can be served with Sweet/sour Red Cabbage, Sauerkraut, and Cauliflower/broccoli and roasted Brussels sprouts/chestnuts. Also goes well with Roasted Pork Loin Roast or shoulder and any good Beef Roast.