Classic potato dumplings made with cooked potatoes

About this recipe

Potato dumplings are a familiar side dish in German and Austrian home cooking. Depending on the region they may be called Kartoffelknödel or Kartoffelklöße, and recipes use boiled potatoes, raw potatoes or a mixture of both. This straightforward version is made entirely from floury cooked potatoes. Once the potatoes are tender, pressing them finely and allowing steam to escape helps prevent a wet, sticky dough. Potato starch and an egg bind the dumplings without requiring excessive kneading. Shape them with damp hands and test one small dumpling before cooking the whole batch. Their most important cooking rule is simple: keep the water only gently simmering so the balls remain intact as they cook through. Homemade potato dumplings soak up dark-beer gravy beautifully and are also excellent beside mushroom dishes, hearty stews and traditional Sunday roasts.