Little Potato Dumplings With Spinach Cream

Strudel, Noodles and Dumplings

Posted by 4th Estate Books

About

Creamed spinach is a traditional vegetable accompaniment in Germany and is often eaten with buttery mashed potato and a fried egg- this is, I suppose, potatoes, eggs and spinach made a different way. The flour and egg bind the dumplings together in this recipe, so it doesn’t matter which potatoes are used.

SERVES 4

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You Will Need (14 things)

  • FOR THE POTATO DUMPLINGS

  • 500 g Cold cooked Potatoes (about 4 medium potatoes -these can be baked or boiled)
  • 150 g Plain Flour , plus extra for dusting
  • 2 Egg Yolks
  • 1 ½ tsp Fine Sea Salt

  • TO FRY

  • 40 g Unsalted Butter
  • ½ tbsp Olive Oil

  • FOR THE SPINACH AND PARMESAN CREAM

  • 250 ml Double Cream
  • 200 g Frozen Spinach , thawed and chopped
  • 80 g Parmesan , finely grated, plus shavings to serve
  • Freshly Ground Black Pepper , to taste
  • Freshly grated Nutmeg , to serve

Steps (6 steps, 60 minutes)

  1. 1

    If using baked potatoes, cut them in half and spoon the soft flesh into a large bowl (keep the skins to bake into crisps). Mash the potatoes until smooth – you can pass them through a potato
    ricer, but a fork and a bit of patience will do. Add the flour, egg yolks and a little sea salt, then bring the mixture together with your hands to form a soft dough. The boys tell me it feels like play-dough at this stage.

  2. 2

    Dust a large baking tray with flour, ready to place the dumplings on. Now divide the dough into three and on a flour-dusted work surface roll each chunk into sausage shapes about tern in
    diameter. Cut each sausage shape into 2cm chunks and place them on the prepared tray. Set aside.

  3. 3

    Bring a large pan of water and 1 teaspoon salt to a rolling boil. Drop the dumplings into the boiling water; once they rise to the surface (after 2-3 minutes), they are ready. Drain them
    through a sieve.

  4. 4

    While the dumplings are boiling, put the butter and oil into a large frying pan over a medium-high heat. Once the butter is foaming, tip the drained dumplings into the pan and fry,
    turning occasionally, until golden brown and crisp on all sides.

  5. 5

    Put the double cream and spinach into a saucepan and bring just up to the boil over a medium heat, stirring occasionally to prevent burning. Once the cream comes to the boil, turn the heat down, add the Parmesan and cook for a further minute, stirring continuously. Thrn off the heat and season with pepper.

  6. 6

    Divide the cream between four dishes, place the dumplings on top and add a few shavings of Parmesan and a grating of nutmeg.