Raw dumplings

Ingredients for 8 servings:

• 20 potatoes, floury, if possible of the same size
• Salt, dumpling white powder
• White bread, diced
• butter

Instructions

Working time approx. 1 hour; Total time approx. 1 hour

Floury potatoes are important; I usually use 20 that are as similar in size as possible. Grate half of the potatoes in the kitchen machine, adding dumpling whites if necessary to prevent the mixture from turning grey. Press the potatoes in a potato sack in the press; the starch will settle at the bottom of the pressed water. Mix the very dry pressed potato mixture and salt with the starch. Cut the other half of the potatoes into small pieces and boil in salted water until very soft. Then drain and collect the hot cooking water, press the potatoes and mix with enough hot cooking water to form a thick mash. Bring the mash to the boil in a covered saucepan and, while it is bubbling, gradually stir it into the raw potato mixture using a wooden whisk. Beat vigorously, preferably in a metal bowl, until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Have a container of ice-cold water ready for your hands; the dough will be very hot. Form dumplings and place “Bröckerla” (cubes of white bread toasted in butter) in the middle. Close tightly and place in simmering, but not boiling, water, shaking the pot every now and then. If they rise to the surface, remove them immediately with a ladle. We like them best when they are nice and soft; they should be more flat than spherical on the plate. Whether the dumplings turn out well depends not only on the cook but also on the potatoes, as they vary depending on the season and variety and can have more or less starch. Getting them right the first time is a matter of luck; you do need a bit of patience, so practice, practice and more practice. Even after almost 30 years, they don’t always turn out the way I want them to.