Potato Dumplings Stuffed with Meat Recipe
Potato dumplings stuffed with meat are a homely classic on many Polish tables, especially for Sunday dinner. They’re something between a pierogi and a pyza – soft potato dough hides a juicy meat filling inside. The dish is hearty, warming and tastes great with fried onions or a mushroom sauce.
Potato dumplings stuffed with meat capture the very essence of a Polish Sunday dinner – soft, delicate potato dough wrapped around a juicy, well-seasoned filling. The dish combines the comfort of pyzy and pierogi, but is even more filling and warming, especially with onions fried in butter or bacon cracklings on top. Thanks to the neutral flavour of the dough, they showcase the aroma of the meat and toppings perfectly.
Chef's tips
It’s best to cook the potatoes a day ahead and let them cool thoroughly – the dough will be less sticky and the dumplings won’t fall apart during cooking. First fry the meat filling over fairly high heat to evaporate excess moisture; filling that’s too wet can tear the dumplings. Cook them in plenty of lightly salted water – from the moment they float to the surface, give them another 3–4 minutes until they clearly puff up.
How to serve
Serve them with fried onions, bacon cracklings or mushroom sauce and a bowl of simple sauerkraut slaw – this set works perfectly for a relaxed family dinner. To drink, cherry compote is ideal, or a slightly dry red wine if you’re serving a more “grown-up” version of the meal. It’s also a great dish for a winter evening after a long walk, when everyone comes home hungry and chilled.
Ingredients
- starchy potatoes e.g. potatoes for mash - 1 kg
- flour about 1/4 of the volume of the mashed potatoes - 80 g
- flour for binding the dough - 40 g
- egg - 1 piece
- meat can be all pork - 300 g
- onion medium - 1 piece
- garlic - 1 clove
- oil for frying the filling - 2 tablespoons
- salt for the filling and the cooking water
- pepper to taste
- dried marjoram optional, but goes very well - 0.5 teaspoons
- onion for serving for frying on top, optional - 1 piece
- butter or oil for drizzling optional - 2 tablespoons
Preparation
- Peel the potatoes, cut into pieces, cover with cold water, lightly salt and cook for 20–25 minutes until very soft. Drain and leave for 5 minutes to steam dry.
- Mash the cooked potatoes thoroughly with a masher or press them through a ricer until there are no lumps. Transfer to a bowl, level the surface with a spoon and leave to cool slightly (they should be warm but not hot).
- When the potatoes have cooled a little, divide the mass in the bowl into 4 equal parts in a cross. Remove one part and fill the empty space with potato starch (it should fill that quarter). Add back the removed potatoes, add wheat flour, crack in the egg, lightly salt and quickly knead into a soft, smooth dough. If it’s very sticky, add a little more wheat flour, but not too much so the dumplings don’t turn tough.
- Peel the onion for the filling and cut into small cubes. Finely chop the garlic.
- Heat the oil in a frying pan. Add the onion and fry for 3–4 minutes over medium heat, stirring, until it softens and turns lightly golden. Add the garlic and fry for about 30 seconds more, until fragrant.
- Add the minced meat, break it up with a spoon and fry for 6–8 minutes, until it changes colour completely and there are no raw bits. Season with salt, pepper and marjoram. The filling should be well seasoned, as the potato dough is mild. Set aside to cool.
- Tear off pieces of the potato dough about the size of a large walnut. Shape into a ball in your hands, then flatten into a disc about 0.7 cm thick. Place a teaspoon of filling in the centre, pinch the edges together like a pierogi, then gently shape into a ball or oval.
- In a large pot, bring plenty of salted water to a boil. Reduce the heat so the water only gently simmers rather than boiling vigorously.
- Add the dumplings to the water in batches. Gently stir with a spoon so they don’t stick to the bottom. Once they float to the surface, cook for another 4–5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon onto a plate.
- If you want to serve the dumplings with fried onions, dice the extra onion and fry it in butter or oil for 5–7 minutes over medium heat, until golden and soft. Spoon it over the dumplings before serving.
Storage
Cooked dumplings keep well in the fridge for up to 2 days. Reheat them by briefly boiling in salted water or pan-frying in a little butter or oil until lightly golden. You can also freeze them: first cool completely, spread on a tray so they don’t touch, freeze, then transfer to a bag or container. Cook from frozen in gently simmering salted water until they float and are heated through.
