Most food lovers will already be familiar with classic German Spaetzle – the pasta/dumpling that goes with everything. But there’s another Deutscher dumpling that is equally famous – in Germany, at least. Behold the ancient and venerable Kartoffelklösse!
“German potato dumplings, aka kartoffelklöße and kartoffelknodel, bring back wonderful memories of my Mutti’s Sunday dinners,” says recipe contributor Gerhild Fulson. “This traditional recipe, passed down through her generations, creates a classic dumpling that pairs beautifully with almost any meat dish and, of course, gravy.”
An everyday treat
Kartoffelklösse are the everyday workhorse’ potato dumpling of Germany. They can take the place of boiled or roasted potatoes at almost any meal. Fulson notes: “I found this treasured recipe in my Mutti’s handwritten cookbook filled with her German recipes. This page in her book with this recipe is so well-worn, showing just how much Mutti loved making these.”
What you need
Fulson gives us her Mutti’s full recipe, complete with homemade croutons which are traditionally embedded in the centre of each dumpling. These are optional, and don’t materially affect the prep-aration or enjoyment of the dish. But if you want to be truly authentic…
This classic recipe is also a quick one, calling for only potatoes, butter, potato starch, eggs and starch. But the care and handling of the potatoes is key to making exceptional kartoffelklösse.
Secret’s in the spuds…
“Cooking the potatoes in advance, either the day before or earlier on the day you plan to serve the dumplings, is essential,” Fulson insists. “Cook the potatoes in their skins. Boil them until tender. A knife should slide easily to the center when they’re done.”
“Once cooked, let them cool slightly before peeling. Rice the still-warm potatoes, and then for best results, place them in the refrigerator until cold or overnight.”
Fulson warns against using a regular potato masher to fluff the potatoes. It produces the wrong con-sistency, which in turn produces gummy dumplings. She recommends using the aforementioned ricer or a food mill. You could press the spuds through a coarse sieve. But the pressure might do the same harm to them that mashing is bound to wreak…
Tips and hacks…
Keep in mind, you’re making a kind of pasta, crossed with a traditional dumpling. You’re working the eggs into the potatoes and dry ingredients mix just like you would with hand-made pasta. But be careful not to overwork the dough. You might introduce excess pressure which would result in heavy, gluey dumplings.
You can use potato flour or corn starch in place of the potato starch. It won’t make a noticeable dif-ference in the finished product.
Fulson recommends you portion the dough out using a 2 or 3 oz / 60 or 85 g ice cream scoop. That minimizes the amount of handling needed to form the dumplings and, again ensures they come out light an fluffy.
Leftover Kartoffelklösse can be sliced and fried to reheat, for an added caramelized teat…
My take
These German omni-dumplings are a great complement to my own Mutti’s classic Scottish biscuit-style dumplings. Between the two of them, I can offer my family and guests a welcome break from plain old potatoes anytime…
~ Maggie J.