Polish Kopytka Mashed Potato Dumplings Recipes

KOPYTKA - POLISH POTATO DUMPLINGS

Steps:

• With the skins on, boil potatoes until tender, cool and then peel
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil
• Mash the potatoes thoroughly or process with a potato ricer
• Stir in the egg and salt
• Add enough flour to create a smooth dough, stirring just enough to incorporate the flour, overworking will make for tough dumpings
• Take a small amount of the dough and roll on a floured surface to form a rope about 3/4 inch in diamter
• Slice the rope on the diagional about 1/2 inch apart
• Boil in salted water about 4 minutes without over crowding the pan, you'll do multiple batches
• Remove from the water with a slotted spoon
• Serve topped with buttered bread crumbs, pan drippings, gravy or sugar

KOPYTKA RECIPE (POLISH POTATO DUMPLINGS)

Steps:

• Peel and cook the potatoes until fork-tender. Drain and put back in the pot. Put the pot back on the burner and cook the drained potatoes for about a minute over medium heat to let the excess moisture evaporate. Take the pot off the heat.
• Mash the potatoes (while still hot). The best tool for mashing potatoes is a potato ricer but you can also use a regular potato masher. Do not mash them for too long.
• Let the potatoes cool (they can be cold or just slightly warm).
• Add lightly beaten egg, salt, and flour to the potatoes.
• Knead the dough until it comes together but do not overwork it (I usually start mixing the ingredients with a wooden spoon and then knead it with my hands). You can add more flour if the dough does not come together and is sticky. The amount of flour specified in the recipe is an estimate - the amount of the flour needed may be different depending on the potatoes and the flour type/brand. The dough should be soft but not sticky, it should hold together.
• Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and divide into 4 parts. Roll each part into 1,5-2 inch (4-5cm) thick logs. You can dust the dough and your hands lightly with flour. Cut at an angle into 2-inch (5 cm) dumplings.
• Cook the dumplings in batches (about 10 dumplings per batch) in a large pot filled with salted water, about 2-3 minutes, counting from the moment when the dumplings float to the surface of the water. The cooking time may be different depending on the size of the dumplings - you can cook test one dumpling and cut it in half to see if there is raw batter in the middle.
• Remove from the pot with a slotted spoon.
• Enjoy!

POLISH KOPYTKA (POTATO DUMPLINGS)

Steps:

• Peel and boil the potatoes in salted water until they are tender.
• Drain the potatoes and allow them to cool.
• Process the potatoes through a ricer (or just mash them until there are no lumps)
• Place the potatoes in a bowl.
• Add about 1 1/2 cup of flour, 1 egg, and about 1/4 teaspoon of salt.
• Mix by hand until the ingredients are combined.
• Add more flour, as needed, until the mixture becomes a soft dough consistency.
• Flour a flat working surface, transfer the dough to the surface, and knead the dough until it is smooth and pliable.
• Cut a small chunk of the dough and using your hands roll it out into a "snake" that is about 1 inch thick.
• Cut the rolled out dough on a diagonal into approximately 1/2 inch pieces.
• Repeat until you have the desired amount of pieces or you use up all the dough.
• Boil water in a large pot.
• When the water boils add salt.
• Drop the dough pieces into the boiling water. Do not overcrowd the pot.
• Allow the pieces to float to the surface and boil for another 3-5 minutes.
• Remove the kopytka from the water using a slotted spoon.
• Repeat until all are cooked.
• Serve with one of the toppings listed below or with mushroom gravy.
• ONION TOPPING:
• Melt butter in a pan.
• Add the onions and a pinch of salt and pepper.
• Saute the onions until they are a nice golden color.
• Serve over the kopytka.
• BREADCRUMB TOPPING:
• Melt butter into a pan.
• Add breadcrumbs.
• Allow the breadcrumbs to brown slightly.
• The consistency of this mixture should be moist, yet crumbly.
• Add more butter melted butter if needed.
• Serve over the kopytka.