Stuffed Potato Dumplings

Christmas week. The whole family at Steve and Patty's on Monday, Christmas Eve, which is how the family has always done it — Christmas Eve as the main event, Polish tradition, Wigilia without all the fish because nobody actually wants the fish except Babcia Rose. She made beet soup, the clear kind called barszcz, with small mushroom-filled dumplings called uszka floating in it. She made this in Poland and she made this in 1958 and she is making it in 2018, the same recipe, the same hands.

Kristin flew in. She was on her phone for the first hour and then she put it in her bag and left it there for the rest of the visit, which is the most decisive thing she has done in December. She sat next to me at dinner and we talked about the blog and she said "You're going to turn this into a book." I said I did not think of it that way. She said "Start thinking of it that way." She has said this twice now. I am starting to think of it that way.

Made pierogi again this year, with Babcia Rose. Three days before Christmas, in her kitchen, starting at nine AM. This year I brought the notebook openly — she saw it and said "What are you writing?" I said "Your recipes." She said "Why?" I said "So I can make them when you're not here." A long pause. Then she said "Use more salt in the dough than you think." I wrote it down. Then she went back to the rolling and did not say anything else about it for the rest of the morning.

We made seventy pierogi. My dough was better this year. She told me once, near noon, that the pinching was acceptable. That is the word she used: acceptable. I will take it. I will take every word she gives me. The notebook now has three pages just on pierogi — the dough, the filling, the water temperature for boiling, the butter situation on serving (she is firm: sour cream and butter both). I will learn this until I know it the way she knows it. I will learn it with everything I have.

Seventy pierogi, three pages of notes, and one word of praise — “acceptable” — and I drove home knowing I needed to practice this on my own before next December. These Stuffed Potato Dumplings are as close as I can get in my own kitchen to what Babcia Rose has been making since before I was born: soft, yielding dough, a savory potato filling, and the kind of patience the process demands of you whether you want to give it or not. Make these when you want to feel like you’re learning something worth keeping.

Prep Time: 45 min | Cook Time: 25 min | Total Time: 1 hr 10 min | Servings: 6 (about 12 dumplings)

Ingredients

For the dough:
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1/2 teaspoon salt (use more than you think — the dough needs it)
1 large egg
1/2 cup sour cream, room temperature
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened
For the filling:
2 cups mashed potatoes (about 3 medium russet potatoes), cooled
1 cup sharp cheddar or farmer’s cheese, shredded or crumbled
1 small yellow onion, finely diced and sautéed until golden
Salt and black pepper to taste
For serving:
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
Sour cream, for serving

Instructions

Make the dough. In a large bowl, combine flour and salt. Make a well in the center and add the egg, sour cream, and softened butter. Mix with a fork until a shaggy dough forms, then turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 4–5 minutes until smooth and slightly elastic. Wrap in plastic and rest for 30 minutes.
Make the filling. In a bowl, combine cooled mashed potatoes, cheese, and sautéed onion. Season generously with salt and pepper. The filling should be well-seasoned and hold its shape when scooped.
Roll and cut. On a floured surface, roll the dough out to about 1/8-inch thickness. Cut into 3-inch rounds using a biscuit cutter or the rim of a glass.
Fill and seal. Place about 1 tablespoon of filling in the center of each round. Fold the dough over into a half-moon shape and pinch the edges firmly together, pressing from the center outward to remove air pockets. The pinching must be tight — no gaps.
Boil the dumplings. Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a gentle boil. Working in batches of 10–12, add the dumplings and cook for 3–4 minutes after they float to the surface. Remove with a slotted spoon.
Pan-fry for finish (optional but traditional). In a large skillet over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons butter and add the sliced onion. Cook until golden and soft, about 8 minutes. Add the boiled dumplings and cook undisturbed for 2–3 minutes per side until lightly browned and a little crisp at the edges.
Serve. Plate the dumplings with the caramelized onions spooned over the top. Serve immediately with sour cream and additional butter on the side — both, always both.

Nutrition (per serving)

Stuffed Potato Dumplings — The Recipe I’m Learning Before It’s Too Late