Traditional Knedlicky Czech Potato Dumplings Recipes

TRADITIONAL KNEDLICKY (CZECH POTATO DUMPLINGS)

Steps:

• Fill a large soup pot (not sauce pan, too small) about half full of water and bring to a boil.
• Using just your hands, knead together equal amounts mashed potatoes and flour in a bowl until it forms a dough.
• Form dough into baseball/tennis ball sized balls.
• Carefully, so as not to splash, drop dumplings one at a time into boiling water. Do not over crowd pot. You only want a single layer of dumplings.
• The dumplings will sink to the bottom.
• Bring water back to a boil and then simmer.
• When the dumplings begin to float they're done. Don't take them out of the water right away, let them float for about 5 minutes before removing them.
• Remove finished dumplings from water with a slotted spoon and place in a bowl or on a serving plate.
• Serve alongside any kind of roast and top with gravy or butter and salt and pepper. Yum!
• Leftovers can be cut up into bite-sized pieces.

KNEDLIKY - CZECH DUMPLING WITH SAUERKRAUT (ZELI)

Steps:

• In a large bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and sugar. Make a well in the center, and pour in the eggs and 1 cup of milk. Stir to blend, and add enough additional milk to make a moist battery dough, not like pancake batter. Use a sturdy wooden spoon to beat the dough at least 200 strokes, rolling it over and over in the bowl until smooth and an occasional bubble appears on the surface. Add the dry white bread cubes, and stir into the dough until they disappear.
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Place the dough onto a cheesecloth or white cotton cloth, and form into a loaf shape. Wrap the cloth around the loaf, and tie the ends.
• Place the loaf into the boiling water, and cook for 45 minutes, turning the loaf over about half way through. Remove from the water, unwrap, and cover with a tea towel. Let stand for 10 minutes.
• Fry bacon in a small skillet over medium-high heat until evenly browned. Set aside. Place the drained sauerkraut into a saucepan, and add enough water to cover the surface. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Add bacon, and season with salt, pepper and caraway seeds. Stir together the cornstarch and water; mix into the sauerkraut, and simmer for a few minutes before removing from the heat.
• Slice the dumpling loaf. Drizzle dumpling slices with some of the roast drippings from the pan. Serve with sauerkraut.

CZECH POTATO DUMPLINGS

Steps:

• Peel and boil potatoes until done.
• Drain potatoes and mash.
• Do not add butter or milk.
• Cool potatoes in refrigerator until cold.
• Mix in order given.
• Mix well, and knead on a floured board until smooth.
• Divide dough in half and make each half of dough into a roll about 3 inches in diameter and about 12 inches long.
• Cut into dumplings about 2 inches long with a sharp knife that has been dipped in flour.
• While you are cutting the dumplings, bring a large stockpot about 2/3 full of water with 1 teaspoon of salt added to water to a boil.
• Once the water is boiling, add half of the dumplings to the water and stir so they don't stick to the bottom.
• Boil for 15 minutes.
• Remove from water with slotted spoon to drain.
• Place dumplings in roaster sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.
• Cover and keep warm in oven set to low.
• Boil the rest of the dumplings, remove from water and add to roaster.
• Serve.
• These are wonderful eaten with butter or sauerkraut or gravy.
• I use all of my leftover mashed potatoes for this recipe.
• To freeze:.
• Place leftover dumplings on waxed paper lined baking sheets and freeze until solid.
• Remove from baking sheet and place in ziplock freezer bags to store in freezer.
• Will keep for 6 months in freezer.

KNEDLIKY- CZECH POTATO DUMPLINGS

Steps:

• Peel potatoes.
• Put in food processor to grate.
• Put 2 pots (sprayed with Pam) of boiling (between simmering and rolling) water on stove w/ a little salt in them.
• Dump contents of food processor out into bowl, pour off/squeeze out as much water as possible, put back into food processor and liquefy. You want to get as much water out as possible so that you don't have to thicken it much later, but you don't want the potatoes to be super dry.
• Put liquid potatoes in a bowl.
• Sprinkle 1 level tablespoon of salt over them.
• Mix in with a wooden spoon.
• Add a teaspoon of baking powder and a cup of flour and mix.
• Add flour until stiff-- till you can pick up a spoonful of the mix with a wooden spoon, hold it upside down, and it slowly plops off.
• Take wooden spoon, warm it in the hot water.
• Take a scoop of mixture and set in hot water (still on the spoon), letting it sit there until it easily falls off the spoon. Repeat with the rest.
• Turn the heat down (to about medium), and cook for 25 min, stirring often.
• Pull out, pour water off, put in bowl.
• Knedliky has very little taste of its own except a light potatoeyness, and is particularly yummy with a good gravy or scrambled eggs ^^.
• For Thanksgiving and Christmas my grandmother poured about a cup of water into the gravy from the roast beef, pork roll, or turkey to make an au jus, and put the dumplings in it, warming them in the oven for a little while so they absorb the gravy. It's SO GOOD. ^^.