Lithuanian Cepelinai dumplings (Print-Friendly)

Classic Lithuanian dish with potato dumplings filled with seasoned meats and served with sour cream and bacon sauce.

# What You'll Need:

→ Dumplings

01 - 3.3 lbs starchy potatoes, peeled
02 - 2 medium boiled and mashed potatoes
03 - 1 tsp salt
04 - 1 tbsp potato starch (optional for binding)

→ Meat Filling

05 - 9 oz ground pork
06 - 5 oz ground beef
07 - 1 small onion, finely chopped
08 - 1 clove garlic, minced
09 - 1 tsp salt
10 - ½ tsp ground black pepper

→ Sauce

11 - 5 oz diced bacon or smoked pork belly
12 - 1 small onion, finely chopped
13 - 1¼ cups sour cream
14 - 1 tbsp fresh dill, chopped (optional)

# How To Make It:

01 - Grate raw potatoes finely and place in cheesecloth to squeeze out excess liquid. Let the liquid stand, then pour off water and reserve the potato starch sediment.
02 - Combine squeezed grated potatoes, mashed boiled potatoes, salt, and reserved potato starch in a large bowl. Mix until dough forms; add more starch if too wet.
03 - Mix ground pork, ground beef, chopped onion, minced garlic, salt, and pepper thoroughly.
04 - With wet hands, take dough portions about the size of a large egg, flatten them, place a tablespoon of meat filling in the center, then mold the dough around to seal and shape into ovals. Repeat for all portions.
05 - Bring a large pot of salted water to a simmer. Gently add dumplings in batches, preventing sticking. Cook for 25 to 30 minutes until dumplings float and are firm.
06 - Sauté diced bacon in a skillet over medium heat until crisp. Add onions and cook until golden. Stir in sour cream and dill, heat gently without boiling.
07 - Plate dumplings hot and spoon the bacon and sour cream sauce over them.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • These dumplings fill you up like a warm hug while tasting elegant enough for guests, which makes them the perfect comfort food with a little pride attached.
  • The contrast between the creamy potato exterior and seasoned meat inside, topped with crispy bacon and sour cream, hits every flavor note your kitchen can create.
  • Once you master the shaping, you can make a huge batch and freeze them for nights when you need something substantial but don't want to think too hard.
02 -
  • Squeezing out the potato liquid is not optional—it's the difference between dumplings that stay together and ones that fall apart in the pot, so take your time and really wring those potatoes until your forearms hurt.
  • The water you drain off the potato starch settles quickly; if you wait more than a few minutes, that starch sinks and becomes solid gold for binding the dough, so don't discard it carelessly.
  • If a dumpling cracks open during cooking, the filling will leak out and turn the broth cloudy; to prevent this, make sure the seams are completely pinched together and smooth, and don't skip the initial simmer period before the boil.
03 -
  • Keep your hands wet while shaping—it's the single most effective way to prevent the dough from sticking and tearing, and it also helps seal the seams more effectively than you'd get with dry hands.
  • If you're worried about dumplings sticking to each other in the pot, add a pinch of salt to the water or toss them gently with a slotted spoon once they bob to the surface, but honestly a gentle simmer prevents most sticking problems.
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