German potato dumplings (Kloesse)

Looks like the potato dumplings win it. They are a staple here in Bavaria. My upstairs neighbor says it's not Sunday without dumplings. He also says that they must go swimming, meaning you eat them with a lot of gravy. I'm not a huge fan of them myself, but with enough gravy… If you try them, don't leave them in the water too long after they are done or they have a tendency to turn rubbery. They also make mixes for the dumplings and sell it in the German grocery stores. I believe that's what my neighbor uses most weeks.

Potato Dumplings

• 3 slices white bread
  
• 2 TB butter or margarine
  
• 9 medium potatoes (about 3 lbs), peeled
  
• 3 egg yolks, beaten
  
• 3 TB cornstarch
  
• 3 TB uncooked semolina or Cream of Wheat cereal
  
• 1 tsp salt
  
• ½ tsp ground white pepper
  
• ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
  
• ¼ cup all-purpose flour
  

Cut bread into ½ inch cubes. Heat butter or margarine in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add bread; sauté, stirring often, until golden brown. Drain sautéed croutons on paper towels.

Place potatoes in a large saucepan; add salted water to cover. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium. Cover with a tight-fitting lid; cook 20 minutes or until fork tender. Drain and mash potatoes. Add egg yolks, cornstarch, semolina, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Stir to combine.

Using your hands, shape the potato mixture into dumplings about the size of tennis balls (This is the size my neighbors make them. Feel free to make them a bit smaller, if you like), pressing one crouton into the center of each dumpling. Place flour on a dinner plate; roll dumplings in flour until evenly coated.

In a large saucepan, bring 2 quarts salted water to a boil. Using a slotted spoon, gently lower the dumplings into boiling water. Cover and reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer dumplings 15 minutes or until cooked through; do not allow water to boil. Remove cooked dumplings with a slotted spoon. Serve hot with gravy or melted butter with herbs.

These go well with the rouladen recipe I posted last month so if you prefer these, go for it. Me, I like the spaetzle.

On a side note, I did finish revisions yesterday and my story is safely in the hands of my critique partners.

Okay, so I'm off. I'm heading out to the Black Forest region tomorrow and then on to Colmar, France. I'll be back Monday and I'm sure several blog posts next week will be from my trip. I want a progress report if you make the dumplings. What are your plans for the weekend?