Potato Dumplings

(Kartoffel Klösse)
Of the four recipe books I have of my Great Grandmother Sophia Kraft, only one contains a small amount of main course foods. The others are filled with pickles and jams and every dessert imaginable.  The recipe is one of three dumpling recipes I inherited - the other two being the dreaded liver dumpling and the farina dumpling. These are all foods that originate in Germany, so by making these, I felt I was reuniting a bit with my German ancestors. Sophia's mother was from Tiergarten in Baden, and her father was from Ensfeld, Bavaria. So maybe I am cooking a family recipe that is much much older.

Serve this with a warm roast on a chilly day.


Potato Dumplings
4 medium potatoes, riced
1 1/2 tablespoons fat drippings
1 medium onion, grated
1/2 cup dry unseasoned bread crumbs
1/2 cup flour, sifted
1 large egg
1/2 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon celery salt

Rice four medium cold boiled potatoes. Add fat drippings, grated onion, egg, bread crumbs, flour, and seasonings and form into 8 large or 12 small balls. Dredge lightly with flour. Chill balls. Drop into boiling salted water (1/2 tablespoon salt). Boil until firm. In small skillet, brown a few bread crumbs with butter and pour over hot dumplings. Serve with any roasted meat.

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