Often described as Lithuania’s national dish, these potato dumplings were originally known as didžkukuliai — they were renamed in the early 20th century as cepelinai, or zeppelins, because of their resemblance to the German airship. The dough is made from a mix of cooked and raw potatoes and traditionally incorporated potato starch from the cooking water as a binding agent. For simplicity, cornflour or potato flour are used here instead. Any leftovers will freeze well.
SERVES: 4
TAKES: 1 HR 45 MINS
INGREDIENTS
3kg starchy potatoes, peeled
1 tbsp and
2 tsp salt, plus extra for seasoning
2 tsp lemon juice
3 tbsp cornflour or potato flour
salad, to serve
20g dried mushrooms (such as porcini or ceps), soaked in 500ml boiling water for 20 mins, then strained (reserving the soaking liquid) and finely chopped
200g minced beef
200g minced pork
1 onion, finely grated
2 tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
200g smoked bacon, diced
2 onions, finely chopped
250ml sour cream
METHOD
1 Place 750g of the potatoes into a saucepan and cover with water. Add a pinch of salt, bring to the boil and cook for 30 mins, or until soft. Drain, mash with a potato masher and leave to cool.
2 To make the filling, put the chopped, soaked mushrooms in a bowl. Add the beef, pork, onion, salt and pepper and mix well. Set aside.
3 Grate the remaining potatoes using the finest side of a box grater or a food processor fitted with the fine grater attachment. Stir the lemon juice through the grated potato to prevent it from browning, then place half the mixture on a square of muslin. Bring the corners of the cloth together and twist, squeezing out the liquid into a bowl, then tip the potato into a separate large bowl along with the cooled mashed potato. Sprinkle over half the cornflour. Place the remaining grated potato on a square of muslin and squeeze out the liquid into the first bowl using the same process. Add the starch that’s been squeezed from the grated potatoes (the paste that has collected at the bo
