Erdäpfelknödel (Austrian Potato Dumplings)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Potato ricer
• •Large wide pot for simmering
• •Slotted spoon
• •Clean work surface for shaping

Instructions

1. 1

   Boil potatoes the day before

   Wash the potatoes and place them whole, skins on, in a large pot of salted water. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a steady simmer. Cook until a knife slides through the center without resistance, about 25 to 35 minutes depending on size. Drain them completely, let them cool, and refrigerate overnight. This step is not optional. Freshly boiled potatoes are too wet and too warm. They'll turn your dough into a sticky paste and you'll add too much flour trying to fix it, which gives you dense, chewy dumplings instead of tender ones. The overnight rest lets the moisture evaporate through the skins, and cold starch behaves itself.

   Choose the floury variety, not waxy. You want potatoes that fall apart a little when cooked, not ones that hold their shape. In Austria we'd use mehlige Erdäpfel. King Edward, Maris Piper, or Russet potatoes work well outside Austria.
2. 2

   Rice the cold potatoes

   Peel the cold potatoes. The skins should slip off easily. Press them through a potato ricer onto a clean, lightly floured work surface. You want a fine, dry, snow-like mound. If you don't have a ricer, grate them on the fine side of a box grater. Don't use a food processor or a masher. A processor turns potatoes to glue, and a masher leaves lumps that won't disappear in the dough. The ricer gives you an even texture with no effort.

   A potato ricer is one of those tools that earns its drawer space. If you make Knödel, Erdäpfelpüree, or Schupfnudeln with any regularity, buy one. They cost very little and last forever.
3. 3

   Build the dough

   Make a well in the center of the riced potato. Add the flour, egg, salt, nutmeg, and melted butter if using. Work everything together with your hands, folding and pressing the dough gently until it just comes together. This is not bread. You are not kneading. You're coaxing. The dough should feel smooth and slightly tacky but not stick to your hands. If it clings, dust in a little more flour, a tablespoon at a time. If it cracks when you try to roll it, the potatoes were too dry or you used too much flour. Add a touch more egg in that case.

   Every batch of potatoes holds a different amount of moisture. The 150g of flour is a starting point, not a law. Trust your hands. The dough should feel like a soft earlobe when you press it: smooth, pliable, and cool.
4. 4

   Shape the Knödel

   Dust your hands and the work surface lightly with flour. Divide the dough into twelve equal portions. Roll each piece between your palms into a smooth ball, about the size of a golf ball or slightly larger. The surface should be seamless. If you see cracks, wet your palms with a little water and smooth them closed. Cracks let water in during cooking, and a waterlogged Knödel is a sad thing. Line the finished dumplings on a floured tray as you go.

5. 5

   Test one dumpling

   Bring a large, wide pot of salted water to a gentle boil, then reduce the heat until the surface barely trembles. Drop a single Knödel in to test. It will sink. After eight to ten minutes, it should float to the surface and hold together without crumbling. Cut it open. The center should be smooth and cooked through, not raw or gummy. If it fell apart in the water, your dough needs a little more flour. If it's dense and heavy, you used too much. Adjust the remaining dough before cooking the full batch.

   Always test one. Gretel tested one. My grandmother tested one. I still test one. It costs you a single dumpling and saves you from losing eleven.
6. 6

   Simmer the dumplings

   Slide the remaining Knödel gently into the trembling water. Don't crowd them. They need room to float. Keep the heat low. A rolling boil will tear them apart. Simmer for ten to twelve minutes. They'll sink first, then rise to the surface when they're nearly done. Give them another two minutes after they float, then lift them out with a slotted spoon. Let them drain for a moment on a warm plate.

7. 7

   Serve immediately

   Erdäpfelknödel go straight to the table. Set them alongside Schweinsbraten, a rich goulash, or any dish with good gravy. They're built to soak it up. In Upper Austria, some cooks split them open with a fork (never a knife, which presses the surface flat) to expose the soft interior so the gravy can seep in. Mahlzeit!

Chef Tips

• •Use yesterday's potatoes. I know I've said this three times now. I'll say it again. Freshly boiled potatoes are the single most common reason Knödel fail. The overnight rest in the fridge makes all the difference.
• •Boil the potatoes whole and unpeeled. The skins act as a barrier that prevents the flesh from absorbing too much water during cooking. If you peel and chop them first, they'll soak up water like a sponge and your dough will never come right.
• •The flour amount changes every time. Potatoes from a dry summer hold less moisture than potatoes from a wet one. New-season potatoes behave differently from stored ones. Start with 150g and adjust. This is a recipe you learn with your hands, not your measuring cups.
• •If you want to make them a bit more special, press a small crouton of bread fried in butter into the center of each Knödel before rolling it closed. The crouton gives a little crunch inside all that softness. This is a trick from the Mühlviertel.
• •Split your Knödel with a fork, not a knife. A fork tears the surface open and creates texture for gravy to cling to. A knife just smashes it flat.

Advance Preparation

• •Potatoes must be boiled and refrigerated the day before. This is built into the recipe, not a shortcut.
• •Shaped, uncooked Knödel can sit on a floured tray in the fridge for up to four hours before cooking. Cover them loosely so they don't dry out.
• •Cooked Knödel can be reheated the next day by slicing them in half and frying the cut sides in butter until golden. Different dish at that point, but a good one.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 290g)