Cotton dumplings

Ingredients for 3 servings:

• 500 g potatoes, mainly waxy, cooked, peeled
• 125 g potato starch
• 1 pinch of salt
• 1 pinch of nutmeg
• 2 liters of water
• 1 pinch of salt
• 1 slice(s) white bread, diced or baking peas
• 75 g clarified butter

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 25 minutes; Total time approx. 55 minutes

also called silken dumplings

Dice the white bread slices and toast them in clarified butter until golden brown. Meanwhile, bring the water for the dumplings to a boil (without adding any salt). Mash the peeled, boiled potatoes and season with salt and, if desired, nutmeg. I also season with Maggi’s Fondor or Kania’s aromatic seasoning. Mix in the potato flour with a wooden spoon with a hole in it, and finally, blanch the potato dough with 1 to 2 ladles of cooking water to create a medium-firm dumpling dough. If the dough is too soft, you can add a tablespoon of potato starch to help it reach the right consistency. Then add salt to the cooking water. With wet hands, form dumplings, make a hollow in the center, and fill it with the toasted bread or breadcrumbs. I prefer breadcrumbs, which saves me a step. Then close the hollow and form beautiful dumplings. Prepare all the dumplings and then add them one at a time to the boiling water. A little tip from me: Add a pinch of dissolved potato starch to the boiling water. This prevents them from overcooking and gives the dumplings a delicious shimmer. Cooking time is 25 minutes. The dumplings should be covered and simmered gently for the first five minutes, then simmered below boiling point with the lid half-open. If necessary, refresh with cold water while the water is still boiling. The reason the dumplings are filled with baking peas or toasted white bread cubes (called “Monala” here in Franconia) is to prevent the dumplings from being moist in the middle. In Franconia, these cotton-flavored dumplings are served with sauerbraten and game dishes.