German Potato Dumplings, aka Kartoffelklöße

These potato dumplings are deceptively fluffy!

You will usually see these potato dumplings, or Kartoffelklöße (pronounced kartoff-el-kleuz-ze) or Knödel, on the side of our favourite meat dishes, like Sauerbraten, Roast Pork or Beef Rouladen. 

They are actually quite easy to make, they are just a combination of cooked riced potatoes, blended with potato starch, eggs and seasonings.  They are formed into balls about 2 inches in diameter, and then lowered into a pot of boiling water to simmer till cooked through, about 15 minutes.

Disclaimer: when my mum made these, she most often took the convenient way out and used a package of instant Potato Dumpling mix (Panni Knödel Mix)  But once I started making my own, I decided to make them from scratch, since finding the package wasn’t as easy as I thought.  And then with a lot of research, I realized that there is nothing hard about making them from scratch. My mum just had better things to do, I guess! ;D

The Ins and Outs of These Dumplings

Before we even form the dumpling balls, we are going to make some croutons.  Yep, in the centre of these fluffy balls are a few buttery crunchy bread croutons.  Easily made with day old bread cubed and fried up in a skillet.  Let them cool overnight before you plan on making the dumplings.

Cooked potatoes are easy to rice or mash with a masher.  Don’t use a blender or hand mixer.  This will always turn the potatoes gummy.  I’m always surprised when I hear that some use a stand mixer for their mashed potatoes!! A ricer is definitely the best tool to have, for both mashed potatoes, and these dumplings.  Get one!

Once cooled and dried out a bit, the riced potatoes are combined with potato starch (if you can’t find it, go ahead and use cornstarch, but for authentic flavour, aim for potato starch) some whisked eggs, and seasonings: salt, white pepper, and nutmeg.

You will use a fork and then your hands to form a dough.  Aim for a sticky dough that just holds together.  You don’t want it too dry (you can tell it is too dry if in the end the balls don’t stick to your hands as you roll them) because too dry will end up in a tough dumpling.  Too loose (way too sticky to work with) and they will fall apart in the water.  Adjust with either a bit more starch or some milk to get the correct consistency.

Major Prep Tip

Before you go and roll all the balls, form a small one (about 1 inch in diameter) and plop it into some boiling water.  Let it cook for about 10 minutes or so, till cooked through.  Right away you will be able to tell if the dough is holding together as the water bubbles around it.  Once you pull it out and let it cool, you can eat it.  Test it for flavour, it should have a mild flavour, but not bland.  Now you know whether the dough needs to be adjusted for consistency and flavour before you wasted the time to form all the balls.  This tip comes from the way I also prep my meatballs. Better to taste one before all the work of forming.  This way you can adjust as desired.

When you form the balls, place a few tablespoons in one palm and roll, and then flatten it slightly and place some of those bread croutons in the centre.  Then just fold the dough around the croutons.  Roll in your palm to seal.  Place on a baking sheet lined with wax paper.  Repeat till all the dumplings are formed. You will want to keep a small bowl of water nearby, wet your hands before forming each balls so that the dough doesn’t stick to your hands.

Gently lower them into a large pot of boiling water.  Don’t crowd the pot.  Once they float to the top, let them simmer in a full rolling simmer for 15 or so minutes to ensure that they are cooked through. Remember those few croutons you placed in the middle?  These will ensure that the very centre of the dumpling doesn’t contain dough, but cooked bread, so they ensure that the dumplings won’t be ‘raw’ or cold in the centre. Place the cooked dumplings onto a platter lightly coated with oil or butter.  Repeat till all the dumplings are boiled up.  Serve! 

How to Serve and Eat These Dumplings

Sprinkle with parsley and serve with some of gravy that accompanies the meat.  Now, here’s the step my mama taught us: never CUT through the dumpling with your knife.  This will close up the airy nature of the interior.  Rather what you will do is: take your knife on one side of the top of the dumpling, and your fork on the other side, and gently but firmly pull them in opposite directions.  This will pry open the dumpling and create natural craters inside. This is where you want to pour copious amounts of gravy!!

Leftovers

Despite your best efforts, maybe not all the dumplings got eaten.  I’d like to say that they will re-heat perfectly on day two.  But they won’t. The interior will have turned tough as they sat in a sealed container in the fridge.  So this is what you will do instead: Slice up the dumplings and fry them in butter and olive oil.  Until a wonderful crust has formed on the outside.  Now you have the best of both worlds. Crunchy exterior, and fluffy interior restored!!  In fact, I love them this way JUST AS MUCH as day one!  So go ahead and make more than you think you will need.  We will eat them for dinner on the side of baked chicken or with sautéed veggies.  They also make a great side for fried or scrambled eggs!  Brunch or Meatless Monday!

Prep Tips

On the day you want to serve these, you may have a lot of other dishes to prepare, so here is my tip for advance planning, if you want to serve these for Sunday dinner. Make the croutons, and cook and rice the potatoes on Friday night.  Store them in a covered bowl or sealed container in the fridge overnight.  On Saturday afternoon, make the dumpling mixture and roll the dumplings.  Place them onto the wax lined baking sheet.  Cover this with plastic wrap (or slide it into a plastic shopping bag (we always double duty any shopping bags we had to bring home so that they go beyond single use) Tie off the ends, and store in the fridge, or even a chilly garage or balcony if it is winter! Then on Sunday, bring them back in, let them come to room temperature, and then finish them in the pot of water. Serve with your Rouladen, Sauerbraten, or Roast Pork!

If you have ones in the family that want to see Spätzle (little dumpling noodles) or mashed potatoes on the table as well (a la Monica and that Turkey Dinner episode), you may want to make a half batch of both these Knödel and the Spätzle.  Or else you will have more than plenty of carbs on the table!!

Love Jen

5 from 1 vote

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German Potato Dumplings, aka Kartoffelklöße

These golden globes of tender potato are the traditional side dish to classic German meals. Gently opening them up to drizzle the rich gravy of your Rouladen or Sauerbraten will make these absolutely irresistible!

Course Side Dish

Cuisine German

Keyword croutons, nutmeg, potatoes, white pepper

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Cooling 8 hours

Servings 8

Ingredients

• 3 lbs Yukon Gold potatoes, cooked in their skins, See Notes
• 3 slices day-old bread
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1 1/3 cup potato starch, more if needed
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp white pepper
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 2 tbsp chopped parsley or dill

Instructions

Potato Prep

1. Cook the potatoes in their skins the day before by adding them to a pot of salted water. Bring it to a boil and then reduce the heat to medium, for a gentle but obvious simmer. Cook till a knife can slide into the middle, about 18 to 20 minutes. Cool slightly and peel. Rice the potatoes (or mash if you don't have a ricer). Place in a bowl and let them cool down to room temperature. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Croutons

1. Cut the bread into 1/2 inch cubes.
2. Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the bread cubes and sauté, stirring, until nicely browned on all sides. Remove from heat and set aside to cool on a plate. These can also be made the day before.

Make the Dough

1. Place the riced potatoes into a large bowl. Add in 1 cup potato starch, both eggs, salt, pepper and nutmeg to make a dough that holds together when formed into dumplings. If the mixture is too moist, add a bit more starch. If for some reason it ends up being too stiff, crumbly and dry, you can add a little milk till softened.

Test Dumpling

1. Bring a small pot of water to a boil.
2. Form a small 1 inch dumpling by rolling it in your hands. Wet your hands so that the dough doesn't stick to your palms.
3. Once the water is boiling, gently drop the dumpling into the water. Once it comes to the top and the water is at a rolling simmer around the ball, let it cook for about 10 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon. Once cool enough to handle, eat it! Now you can see if it is tough on the inside, and if there is enough salt and pepper. Adjust the dough in the bowl if desired. If the ball started to fall apart in the water, then you want to add some more starch to the dough. If it is really tough, then add a little moisture.

4. Now flatten the dough in the bowl and divide it into four equal quadrants. You should be able to get about 3 dumplings from each section. Have a bowl of water next to you to wet your hands between each dumpling. Take the amount for one in your palm and roll it into a ball. Now flatten it slightly and add about 4 bread croutons into the centre. Fold the dumpling dough around them and then roll to smooth out the ball. It should be around 2 inches in diameter. Place this onto a wax paper lined baking sheet. Repeat with remaining dough.

   As long as they are not touching, they can be covered with plastic wrap or a bag, sealed and stored in the fridge, or cold cellar if you want to prepare them in advance before cooking the next day.

Cook the Dumplings

1. Bring a large pot of well salted water to a boil.
2. Add 5 or 6 dumplings to the water using a slotted spoon. It won't take too long for them to float to the surface. Maintain a full rolling simmer around the dumplings. Let them simmer for 15-18 minutes. Using the slotted spoon to transfer them to a platter. Drizzle with a little olive oil or butter to keep them from sticking to each other.
3. Repeat with the remaining dumplings.
4. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve.
5. To eat, don't cut the dumpling with your knife, you will seal up any air pockets this way, and the gravy won't soak in. Instead, take your knife tip and your fork, and pull the top of of the dumpling in opposite directions, opening the dumpling and creating little craters inside. This is ideal for optimum gravy enjoyment!
6. See blog post for more details

Leftovers

1. Any uneaten dumplings can be stored in a sealed container in the fridge. The next day, slice up the dumplings you want to eat into 1/2-3/4 inch slices. Sauté them in a skillet with butter and oil over medium to medium high heat till nicely crisped on both sides. Serve with eggs, or as a side to any meat you are serving up.

Recipe Notes

Try to choose potatoes that are of similar size so that they will cook evenly. I usually choose ones that are between small and medium in size just to ensure that they cook through with ease.

I like Yukon Gold, for their versatility, and the lovely golden hue they add to the final dish. But Russet potatoes will also work fine.
If you can't find potato starch, you may use cornstarch. But I do think potato starch will guarantee the best flavour.