Potato dumplings: why they come out soft in one kitchen and rubbery in the next

Potato dumplings are the dish Poland calls kopytka and we more often call potato klusky. They are made from three ingredients, and one move is enough to ruin them.

The recipe for potato dumplings was shared by the cookery site mojegotowanie.pl.

That move is an extra handful of flour. The more of it in the dough, the tougher and more rubbery the dumplings, so the ratio here is a condition rather than a suggestion.

What you need

• 1 kg potatoes
• 200 g wheat flour
• 1 egg
• a teaspoon of salt

How to cook

1. Boil the potatoes. Use a floury variety — the dough will be firm and soft at once, with no need for added starch. Cut into smaller pieces and boil in salted water until soft.

Drain and let the steam escape properly in the pan so the potatoes are not damp. While still hot, press them through a ricer or mash them — there should be no lumps.

2. Make the dough. Sift the flour with salt onto the worktop, add the mashed potato — best while still warm — and break in the egg.

Knead to a smooth dough. If it sticks badly, dust with a little more flour, but remember that the amount of flour decides what the dumplings will be like. Divide the dough into six pieces.

3. Shape the dumplings. Roll each piece into a rope and cut it into diamonds roughly the size of a thumb. An ordinary table knife or a pastry scraper works well for separating them.

4. Boil in batches. Bring a large pan of water to the boil and salt it. Drop the dumplings in a few at a time — all at once and they will stick together.

After a moment stir gently with a wooden spoon to check that none have caught on the bottom. Once they float, count three minutes and lift them out with a slotted spoon.

5. Serve. The classic is melted butter and fried breadcrumbs. But the dumplings go just as well with mushroom gravy, sour cream with herbs, or as a side to meat.

What you can change

For a gluten-free version swap the wheat flour for rice or oat flour — but then add potato starch to the dough, or the dumplings will fall apart in the water.

Yesterday's potatoes work too, but take them out of the fridge well in advance so they come up to room temperature. Cold potato demands more flour — and that ruins everything.

The whole dish takes about 30 minutes.

As a reminder, a soaked stale roll is what keeps meat patties juicy.