Potato Dumplings

An ordinary week in the life between milestones. The kitchen produces meals on schedule. Amma is in memory care. Appa visits her daily. The children grow. The sambar gets made. The rasam gets made. The wet grinder roars on Sundays. I made Beans poriyal tonight. Not because it is special but because it is Tuesday and Tuesday needs dinner and the kitchen does not distinguish between milestone weeks and ordinary weeks. The generous pinch is generous either way. The food continues. We continue.

Beans poriyal was already on the stove before I thought to write any of this down, which is how the best Tuesday dinners go. But it’s the potato dumplings I’ve been folding into the week’s rotation lately — soft, forgiving, requiring no ceremony — because they ask the same thing of you that an ordinary week does: just show up, just do the next step. There is something steadying about a dumpling. It does not need to know what kind of week it is.

Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 25 min | Total Time: 45 min | Servings: 4

Ingredients

2 lbs russet potatoes, peeled and quartered
1 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon salt, plus more for the boiling water
1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Fresh parsley, chopped, for serving (optional)

Instructions

Boil the potatoes. Place potatoes in a large pot of salted water. Bring to a boil over high heat and cook until completely tender, about 18–20 minutes. Drain thoroughly and allow to steam-dry in the pot for 2 minutes.
Rice or mash. Pass the hot potatoes through a potato ricer or mash until completely smooth with no lumps remaining. Spread onto a clean surface and let cool for 5 minutes — you want them warm, not hot, before adding the egg.
Form the dough. Add the beaten egg, flour, salt, white pepper, and nutmeg to the mashed potato. Gently mix and knead until a soft dough forms. It will be slightly sticky. Do not overwork it.
Shape the dumplings. Flour your hands lightly. Pinch off portions of dough and roll into balls roughly 1 1/2 inches in diameter. You should get about 16 dumplings. Set on a lightly floured tray.
Cook the dumplings. Bring a large pot of salted water to a gentle boil. Working in batches, lower the dumplings in and cook until they float to the surface plus 2 minutes more — about 5–6 minutes total per batch. Remove with a slotted spoon.
Finish in butter. Melt butter in a wide skillet over medium heat. Add the cooked dumplings in a single layer and cook, turning occasionally, until lightly golden on the outside, about 2–3 minutes. Season with additional salt to taste.
Serve. Transfer to a plate and scatter with parsley if using. Serve immediately.

Nutrition (per serving)

Potato Dumplings — Because Tuesday Needs Dinner Too