Meat Stuffed Potato Dumplings and Sauerkraut

Czech stuffed potato dumplings with smoked meat, served with sauerkraut.

Meat Stuffed Potato Dumplings and Sauerkraut

Potato dumplings stuffed with smoked meat and served with creamy sauerkraut are a true comfort food from Czech cuisine. The perfect recipe to warm you up on a cold day!

Course Main Course

Cuisine Czech

Keyword Recipes with sauerkraut

Prep Time 45

Cook Time 15

Total Time 1

Servings

Calories 503kcal

Author Petra Kupská

Ingredients

Potato dough for dumplings:

1 ¾ pounds potatoes (1.8 kg) cooked in their skins
2 cups all-purpose flour (260 g)
⅔ cup farina (about 100 g) cream of wheat
1 egg
2 teaspoons salt

Creamy sauerkraut:

1 ½ pounds sauerkraut (24 ounces/680 g) Czech, German or Polish style
1 onion
1 Tablespoon lard or rapeseed oil
1 ½ Tablespoons granulated sugar or more to taste
1 ½ Tablespoons all-purpose flour

Meat filling:

½ pound smoked meat (225 g) fully cooked
1 onion
½ Tablespoon lard or rapeseed oil

For serving:

fried onions
parsley sprig chopped

Misc.

a wide pot of gently boiling salted water to boil the dumplings

Instructions

Smoked meat filling:

Cut the smoked meat into small cubes. Peel and finely chop the onion.
Melt the lard in a frying pan over medium-high heat and fry the onions in it until golden. Don't forget to stir. Add the smoked meat and fry for about three further minutes, stirring occasionally.
Transfer the meat filling from the pan to a bowl and let cool.

Creamy sauerkraut:

Drain the sauerkraut, but don't rinse it. Put the sauerkraut in a pot, and pour water over it, so the kraut is submerged. Cover the pot with a lid and let the sauerkraut cook at low heat for half an hour.
Peel and finely chop the onion. Melt the lard in a frying pan over medium-high heat and fry the onions in it, constantly stirring, until golden brown. Add the sugar, stir, and let it dissolve, which will happen in a moment.
Add the cooked sauerkraut and about a ladleful of the water in which it was cooked. Dust the sauerkraut surface with flour and stir. Turn the heat down to low, cover the pan with a lid, and let it simmer for about 15 to 20 minutes.
Taste and add a little more sugar if necessary.

Stuffed potato dumplings:

Boil the potatoes in their skins and let them cool completely. Peel their skins and grate them finely on a hand grater.
Put on a stove a pot of water that you've salted, and bring it to a boil.
To the bowl of shredded potatoes, add flour, farina (cream of wheat), egg, and salt. Work into a stiff but smooth dough first with a wooden spoon, then with your hands.
Shape the dough into a cylinder and cut it into equal-sized pieces. With your hands, form each piece into patties. Place a spoonful of meat filling in the middle. Fold the edges over the filling and close the dumpling. Gently roll the dumpling between your palms to give it a round shape.
Place the stuffed dumplings in the gently boiling, salted water. Cover the pot with a lid and cook at low heat for 15 minutes. If the potato balls stick to the bottom, carefully loosen them with a fork. Toward the end of cooking, the dumplings should float on the surface. Remove them with a slotted spoon into a bowl.

Notes

Makes 16 stuffed dumplings, 4-6 portions.
SERVING: Spread a ladle of sauerkraut on the plate. Place three to four stuffed dumplings on the bed of cabbage. You can cut the dumplings in half. Czechs often add fried onions to dumplings and sprinkle them with chopped green herbs such as parsley.
STORAGE: If you have any leftover stuffed dumplings, place them in a bowl and cover with foil. Store them in the refrigerator in this manner for up to five days. This type of dumpling freezes perfectly! Store them in the freezer in a resealable container, where they will last at least three months.
One quick way to mash cooked and peeled potatoes are with a potato ricer or potato press. This useful tool comes in handy if you like to cook many potato dishes.

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