Potato dumplings with smoked meat and sauerkraut: How to make this Czech pub classic

Good beer and honest cooking

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For the potato dumplings:

• 1.2 kg potatoes
• 0.5 - 0.6 kg coarse flour (depending on water content of the potatoes)
• 1-2 eggs (depending on the density of the dough)
• 0.015 g salt

For the meat filling:

• 1 kg of Prague ham
• 250g lard
• 500g finely chopped onion
• 10g salt
• 0001 kg ground black pepper

For the cabbage:

• 2 kg sauerkraut
• 200g finely chopped onion
• 100g lard
• 10g whole caraway seeds
• 10g salt
• 500ml broth or water

For thickening and seasoning:

Sourdough

• 250g fat (lard or butter)
• 250g plain flour
• sugar or vinegar (depending on the acidity of the cabbage)

Dumplings:

1. Start with the filling – cook the meat until soft, which should take about half an hour. Then let it cool, and cut into cubes.
2. Fry the cubes in lard, adding the onion after a while. Fry everything until golden brown.
3. Chill the fried mixture in the fridge.
4. Form the mixture into balls (weighing about 25-30 g each) and return to the fridge.
5. Meanwhile, boil the potatoes in their skins. Then peel them, and coarsely grate.
6. Mix the grated potatoes with the flour, eggs and salt. Shape into a roll. You can tell the consistency is right by the fact that when you cut the roll, the dough does not stick to the knife.
7. In a large saucepan, bring salted water to the boil. Cut slices from the roll of dough, and shape them into pancakes. Wrap a ball of meat mixture in each one. Alternatively, you can choose to roll the dough into a sheet, then use a cup to cut out the rounds.
8. Cook the filled dumplings for 20-25 minutes. Caution – in this case, the cooked dumplings won't float to the surface on their own!
9. After 20 minutes, pull out one dumpling, cut it open and check that it is cooked inside. If it's ready, drain the rest and serve.

Cabbage:

1. Squeeze the water out of the sauerkraut and cut it a few times so that the strands are not too long.
2. Fry the onions in the lard. After a while, add the caraway seeds so that they become fragrant.
3. Once the onions are golden brown, add the cabbage and cover with water or stock.
4. Let it cook until soft.
5. Meanwhile, prepare a roux, using butter or lard.
6. When the cabbage is cooked, add the roux and boil for 10 minutes. Salt to taste, ad a splash of sauerkraut juice or vinegar, or sweeten with sugar.

Tip: Alternatively, you can thicken the cabbage by adding finely grated raw potatoes after cooking, and leaving to boil for a while. Or, dust the cabbage with coarse flour and cook until it reaches the desired thickness.