Jörg's Gegeiratne, a flour dish from Saarland

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 600 g wheat flour type 405
• 3 eggs, size L
• 8 tbsp, heaped vegetable broth
• Carbonated mineral water
• 4 medium-sized potatoes, mostly waxy
• 125 g bacon cubes (dry meat)
• 400 g cream with 30% fat content
• 1 tbsp oil

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Rest time approx. 10 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 20 minutes; Total time approx. 1 hour

Original recipe from my grandmother, only the vegetable broth is mine

Place the peeled and quartered potatoes in a pot of salted water and cook until al dente, then set aside. In a non-stick pan, fry the diced jerked beef with a splash of oil until the bottom of the pan is lightly browned. Then reduce the heat and add the cream and let it simmer gently for a few minutes so the cream absorbs the flavor of the jerked beef. Put about 600g of wheat flour 405 (I’ve also made it with rye flour; no problem either—this recipe is very forgiving) into a bowl, add the eggs, as well as half of the vegetable broth, and stir. The eggs will almost completely disappear. Then add the mineral water, enough so that the batter is very stiff after stirring, but also just enough so that it slides very slowly off the spoon. Then let it stand for a while. Bring water to a boil in a large pot. Do not use salt! The jerked beef and vegetable broth are already salty enough. When it’s boiling, add the remaining spoonfuls of vegetable broth to the boiling water. Using a teaspoon (NOT a tablespoon), add the dough in portions to the hot water and let it cook for about 10 minutes. Then drain all the water, add the potatoes to the dumplings, along with the cream sauce (hence the name “Geheiratne” in the “Saarland” style), and stir. Let stand for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, and then serve. As already mentioned, the recipe can be varied, especially regarding the individual quantities, but the dried meat sauce with cream or the vegetable broth—that’s a must, otherwise it’s no longer Geheiratne. It goes just as well with Chateaubriand as with rolled roast or pork neck.