Vareniki - Russian Mashed Potato Dumplings

My favourite thing about travelling is eating new cuisines. In Russia last year I was super hungry and late one evening we stopped into a little diner. I ordered what is basically a bowl of comforting delights - mashed potato wrapped in dough. Perfection. Carbs on carbs, my kind of cuisine.

I have been meaning to make these for AGES but honestly, folding dumpling wrappers can be a little bit tedious. Then I saw a thing. A gadget. The coolest thing ever!

DUMPLING PRESS OMG

So this was an absolute breeze. Easy, delicious and kind of quick for dumplings! I don't think my recipe is strictly traditional but it was really really good. Usually you'd just have this on your own but I served it with some sausages for a little extra protein.

Makes about 25 fairly large dumplings

Ingredients for the filling/serving

• 3 medium potatoes
• 3 tsp butter
• 1 white onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• ¼ tsp dill
• Half a bunch of spring onions, diced
• A few tbsp sour cream, to serve

Ingredients for the dough

• 250g plain flour
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 medium egg
• 180ml cold water

Method

Begin with the potatoes, peel and cut. Place in a pan full of salted water and bring to a boil. Allow to simmer away until cooked, approx. 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the dough because it needs to rest. Put the flour salt in a food processor and briefly blitz. Pour the egg and then drizzle the water down the funnel until it all comes together, you may not need all the water.

Put in a bowl, cover with a tea-towel and let rest for 15 minutes.

Now heat 1 tsp butter in a pan and throw in the chopped onion. Cook gently until caramelised, about 10-15 minutes. Throw in the garlic and dill near the end and stir through, letting cook for a few minutes.

Once the spuds are cooked through, drain, add 2 tsp butter and mash. Stir through the caramelised onion and most of the diced spring onions, reserving some for serving.

Now the filling is ready, you can get going with the dumpling wrappers.

Cut the dough into four and work with one quarter at a time, make sure the rest is covered so it doesn’t dry out.

Roll out to as thin as you can get it, around 1.5mm. Cut out with a cookie cutter, I used the biggest one in my set which looks about 9cm. You could easily do smaller.

Place a tsp of filling in the centre and pinch closed the edges. Repeat with all the rest.

OR USE YOUR AMAZING DUMPLING MACHINE

Bring a pot of salted water to the boil, and heat a pan with a little butter in it.

First, drop the dumplings (about 5 at a time) in the boiling water and allow to cook until they start to float (2-3 minutes).

Once they’ve floated, pick up with a slotted spoon and get as much water off as possible. Then place in the hot pan and fry on both sides until golden and slightly crispy.

Have two on the go at once

Continue with the rest of the dumplings (I rested the cooked ones in a warm oven while I finished the batch).

Serve with a tbsp. of sour cream and the reserved spring onions. Yum Yum Yum.