This post is about simple potatoes dumplings, served in an interesting potato broth.
Conversations about potato dishes usually focus on texture (the ideal French fry has a crisp exterior and fluffy interior, the ideal mashed potatoes are smooth but not gummy…) I love this broth because it makes you think about how potatoes taste. Potato skins are used to infuse a vegetable broth with potato flavour, without any of the thick starchiness we associate with potato soups.
Let’s start with the dumplings. The key to pillow-like potato dumplings is to have very little moisture in the potatoes. This way the milled potatoes will require less flour to form a dough, and there will be accordingly less gluten in the finished dumplings. Use low-moisture, starchy potatoes like russets.
Boil or bake the potatoes whole, with the skins on. Once they are cooked through and still hot, peel away the skins in large segments and mill the potatoes. Clouds of steam will escape in the process, ridding the flesh of excess moisture. Spread the milled potatoes on a sheet pan and cool thoroughly to let a maximum of moisture evaporate.
Lay your potato peels on a rack and dry thoroughly in a 225°F oven.
Once the potatoes have cooled, add flour and mix to distribute evenly. Then add eggs and melted butter, stir to combine, then knead briefly until a dough forms. Exact amounts are as follows:
Potato Dumplings
Master Ratio – 4:4:1:1/2 potato, flour, egg, butter, by weight
Ingredients
- 16 oz cooked, riced, chilled starchy potatoes
- 16 oz all-purpose flour
- 4 oz egg (2 large eggs)
- 1 oz melted butter
To shape the dumplings, roll the dough flat, cut into strips, then cut the strips into rectangular pillows.
Now the broth. Make a simple vegetable broth by sweating onions, carrots, celery, and a touch(!) of tomato for colour and acidity. Add parsley, bay, and pepper. Cover with cold water and simmer for about an hour. Strain out the vegetables.
Add the crisp potato peels to the vegetable broth and simmer until you can taste the potato and the broth has reduced to a flavoursome concentration. Remove the peels before serving.
