Potato Dumplings
Kartoffelkloesse
(Serves 6-8)

2 C mashed potatoes (kartoffelpuree) *
2 C flour
1 egg (well beaten)
pinch of nutmeg (freshly grated)
1/2 tsp. salt
pepper to taste
2 T parsley leaves (chopped)—for garnish

Bring 4-6 qt. pot of salted water to boil. While waiting for water to boil, combine all ingredients, except parsely, in a large bowl and mix thoroughly. Cover your hands with flour and shape potato dough into small balls, somewhere between a ping-pong and baseball. (Don’t overwork dough.) Drop into boiling water, one or two at a time. Once they rise to the top, cook 10 more minutes. Drain, sprinkle with parsley and serve as an accompaniment to any meat dish.

* Some cooks suggest putting potatoes through a ricer rather than mashing them—the ricer gives a better-textured dumpling.

Tips & Glossary: German


Beets: how to peel and cook beets is a matter of personal preference. You can cut off the tops, peel them with a vegetable peeler and boil them. Another method: leave on about 1" of the tops, wrap them in foil, and bake for 1 hour in a 350 oven. Cool and use rubber gloves, or handle with a paper towel, to prevent hands from turning...well, beet-red. The skins will slip right off. Most cooks say baking- then-peeling is the tastiest way to cook beets.

Ginger:  dried ground ginger is far more potent than freshly-grated from the root.  Sweet dessert recipes call for ground powder. If you wish to use freshly grated ginger, use 6 times the amount of ground called for in the recipe. 

Nutmeg:  Use small whole nuts and store them, tightly covered, in a dry dark area.  Grate what you need using the smallest grating edge or grind in a food processor.  What a difference from store bought ground nutmeg!

Wurst: German sausages— more types than you can shake a stick at. Here are several:
• Bockwurst: smoked; with veal, chives & parsley.
• Bratwurst: pale; with veal, pork, ginger & nutmeg.
• Knockwurst: short & plump, smoked; with pork, beef & garlic.
• Weisswurst: "white"; with veal, pork, cream & eggs.
• Wienerwurst: with beef, pork, coriander & garlic.
• Frankfurter: smoked; with lean pork & bacon fat.