Polish Potato Dumplings (Kopytka)
These potato dumplings are an easy to make dish based on boiled potatoes. They come together in less than 30 minutes after boiling the potatoes and work great with stews, heavy meat mains, or even on their own if you top them with sauteed onions and bacon bits.
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Ingredients
- 1 pound boiled potatoes ( 450 grams)
- 1 cup all purpose flour (~120 grams) plus more for hands and surface
- 1 egg
- ½ tsp sea salt plus more for salting water
Instructions
- Mash potatoes. Make sure the potatoes are well drained, then mash them using a potato ricer or masher. If you don't have one on hand, a fork and some elbow grease will get the job done. Taste for saltiness and add more salt if needed.
- Combine. Combine the mashed potatoes, salt, and egg, and flour in a medium bowl. Stir using a spoon until roughly combined, then finish using your hands.
- Boil water. Start boiling salted water in a large wide-bottomed pot or saucepan. Add one teaspoon of salt per 1 quart of water.
- Make dumplings. Spoon about ¼ of the dough onto a well-floured work surface, then roll it into a 1 to 1 1/2-inch-thick rope using floured hands. Add more flour to the work surface if the dough starts sticking. Then cut the rope into 1 to 2-inch pieces using a lightly floured knife, and transfer them onto a well-floured surface. Cover the cut dumplings and repeat with the remaining dough.
- Cook. Once the water starts boiling, lower it to a gentle simmer. Carefully transfer ¼ to ½ of the dumplings into the simmering water using lightly floured hands, and give them a gentle stir using a slotted spoon so they don't stick to the bottom. Once all dumplings float to the surface, let them cook for another 1 to 2 minutes, then remove using a slotted spoon.
- Serve immediately.
Video
Notes
- When boiling the potatoes, use as much salt as you normally would. Or simply use leftover boiled potatoes.
- Adding a bit of extra flour if the dough is super sticky is okay. Just make sure you're adding an extra tablespoon or two, not an extra cup.
- The dough is supposed to be a bit sticky, so have some flour nearby when rolling and cutting the dumplings. Lightly flour your work surface, hands, and the knife you use to cut the rope to pieces. Otherwise, the dough will stick to everything, and it'll be a mess.
Servings: 2 large portions (or 4 small)