Miniature Potato Dumplings with Sage and Chives

Recipe by: Mollie Katzen | from Mollie Katzen's Vegetable Heaven: Over 200 Recipes For Uncommon Soups, Tasty Bites, Side-By-Side Dishes, and Too Many Desserts

Cookstr

Course: Antipasto/Mezze, Side Dish, Starch

Total Time: Under 1 Hour

Skill Level: Moderate

Cost: Inexpensive

miniature-potato-dumplings-with-sage-and-chives

Photo by: Joseph De Leo

Crisp on the outside and chewy on the inside, these intensely flavored little mouthfuls are hard to stop eating. They make a magnificent if diminutive appetizer; and also go very well alongside almost any soup.

Yield: 55 to 60 bite-sized treasures

INGREDIENTS

1 pound potatoes
1½ cups unbleached white flour (plus a little extra)
1 teaspoon salt (plus a little extra to sprinkle on later)
2 to 3 tablespoons milk
1 to 2 tablespoons butter for sautéing
Dried rubbed sage
Minced fresh or freeze-dried chives

Directions

Boil the potatoes in plenty of water until soft. Drain, and set aside to cool.

When they are cool enough to comfortably handle, peel the potatoes with a sharp paring knife, and “rice” them in a ricer or the grating attachment of a food processor. (You should have about 3 cups cooked, riced potatoes.) Transfer to a medium-sized bowl.

Add 1½ cups flour and 1 teaspoon salt to the potatoes. Mix first with a spoon and then with your hand to make a dough. Add the milk a little at a time as needed, so the dough becomes soft and workable. You want it pliable but not sticky.

Put up a large pot of salted water to boil.

Meanwhile, lightly flour a clean, dry surface. Turn out the dough and push it together with your hands, but don’t otherwise knead. Divide the dough in two, and roll each piece until it is about ½ inch thick. Use a plain dinner knife to cut 1-inch squares (or diamonds, or triangles, or rhomboids, or whatever).

When the water boils, turn it down to a simmer, and add as many pieces of dough as will fit without crowding. They will soon rise to the surface of the simmering water. Cook them for 3 minutes, then scoop them out with a strainer or a slotted spoon and put them on a plate. Continue with another batch until all the dumplings are poached. At this point, they can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Heat a large nonstick skillet and add about a tablespoon of butter. When it is melted, add as many dumplings as will comfortably fit in a single layer and sprinkle lightly with salt. Lower the heat to medium, and sauté the dumplings on one side for 8 to 10 minutes, or until golden brown.

Sprinkle with the sage and chives, and turn the dumplings over. Sauté another 8 to 10 minutes, then transfer to a plate lined with paper towels. Serve as soon as possible.

Notes

You can use any kind of potato for these. If you choose a baking variety, like a russet the dumplings will come out fluffier, with a lighter potato flavor. Boiling varieties, like Yukon Gold or Yellow Finn, will yield denser dumplings with a richer potato flavor

For chewier, crisper dumplings, let them dry out on paper towels for about 20 to 30 minutes between poaching and sautéing.

Much of this recipe can be done well in advance. However, the dumplings taste best if served soon after they are sautéed.

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION

Nutrients per serving (% daily value)

Nutritional information is based on a serving size of 2 dumplings, total of 60 dumplings.

Calories 40kcal (2%)

Calcium 5mg (0%)

Vitamin C 3mg (5%)

Vitamin A 6mcg RAE (0%)

Potassium 72mg

Magnesium 5mg

Protein 1g