Franconian potato dumplings

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 2 kg potatoes, floury (but mostly waxy ones will also work)
• 1 stale roll
• 50 g butter
• Salt
• Vinegar
• Water, hot

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Total time approx. 30 minutes

Cut the roll into small cubes and fry in butter until nicely browned. Peel the potatoes. Boil 1/3 of them in salted water. Finely grate the rest on a potato grater. To prevent the dumplings from turning brown, add a few tablespoons of vinegar to the bowl before grating. Place the grated potatoes in a linen bag (available at the market here in Franconia) and squeeze vigorously so that the potato dough is as dry as possible. Alternatively, you can use a juicer, but the dough should already be quite dry. Then discard the potato water, but reserve the starch that has settled in it and add it to the grated potato dough. Season the potato mixture generously with salt and knead evenly. Then blanch the dough with boiling water (it’s best to take the water from the pot in which the dumplings will then be cooked). The more water you use for blanching, the better the dumplings will be, but it becomes more difficult to form nice dumplings the more you use. About a large cup should be a good starting point. First, mix the boiled dough with a wooden spoon, then knead it with your hands until smooth. Then, press the soft-boiled potatoes through a potato ricer and mix them into the dough (OUCH: it’s hot, but you have to go through it). Using moistened hands, form the well-mixed dough into dumplings. If the dough is right, you won’t be able to simply roll it; you’ll have to constantly “toss” it back and forth between your two hands. If you can roll the dough between your hands, it’s much too firm. Hold the dumpling in one hand and open it in the middle with 2-3 fingers of your other hand. Fill it with half a tablespoon of toasted bread cubes. Close the dumpling again, shape it into a round shape again, and then place it in hot, salted water. Bring the dumplings to a boil briefly and then let them simmer for only 20 minutes.