Pelmeni with potato and cream cheese filling

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 400 g flour
• 1 egg(s)
• 150 ml water
• 1 tbsp oil, neutral in taste
• 1 tsp salt
• 200 g cream cheese, grainy
• 400 g potatoes
• 1 onion(s)
• salt and pepper
• nutmeg
• some flour for the work surface and the mold

Instructions

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

Sift the flour into a bowl and make a well in the center. Add the egg, water, oil, and salt. Knead well. Cover the dough with a kitchen towel and let it rest for about half an hour. In the meantime, prepare the filling. Peel the potatoes, cut them into large pieces, and boil them for about 20 minutes (they should then be able to be mashed with a potato masher or ricer). Meanwhile, peel the onion, chop it into very small pieces (I use a food processor for this), and then sauté it in butter until golden brown (I like it a little lighter, but you can adjust this to your taste). Allow the potatoes and onions to become lukewarm. Then press the potatoes through the ricer and add the onion and the cream cheese. Season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg, and then mix well. Now for the more difficult and time-consuming part. Take a handful of dough and roll it out thinly on a floured surface. Caution: If the dough seems too soft or sticky, be sure to add flour, otherwise the pelmeni will tear. Dust a pelmeni dough pan well with flour (Caution: If the pan is not dusted well with flour, the pelmeni will be difficult to remove or may even stick completely to it). Place the rolled out dough on the pan. Now roll out a second handful of dough. To fill, gently press the dough into the indentations with your fingers and then add the filling with a small spoon. Tip: If the pelmeni become too full, they will tear. It’s better to fill less at first and work slowly. Once all the indentations are filled, place the second rolled out dough on top, dust with flour, and roll over it with a rolling pin. But be careful: If everything is well dusted with flour and you roll too quickly, the pelmeni may already start to come loose. When rolling, it is important that you can see all the edges of the dough. Peel off the excess dough and set it aside (you can use it later). Then turn the pan over, and the first pelmeni should fall onto the table. Shake the pan slightly to loosen more pelmeni. Use your finger to help any remaining stubborn ones. Continue working in this way until you have used up all the dough. Note: You can also use the leftover dough; they are a bit harder, but also more robust. I don’t use the leftover dough anymore, as they become too hard and therefore tear more easily. Now add the pelmeni to the salted, boiling water and let it cook for about 5 minutes. When they float to the top, they are basically done. Tip: I always make lots of pelmeni and freeze them. They cook really well from frozen (they then take about 7 minutes to cook). To freeze them, prepare a drawer in the freezer, empty it, and line it with aluminum foil. Dust it with flour. Arrange the pelmeni on it, making sure they don’t touch each other. Once the first layer is ready, simply add a second layer of aluminum foil and repeat the process. By the next day (about 24 hours later), they will be completely frozen and won’t stick together. Now place the pelmeni in a freezer bag. Serving suggestion: Serve with crème fraîche or sour cream, more golden-brown fried onions, diced and fried bacon, or salt and pepper.