Lithuanian Cepelinai

Step 1

Wash potatoes. Place 1/3 of the un-peeled potatoes in a pot, cover with cold water, and bring to boil. Boil for 15 minutes or until tender. Drain then cool slightly until able to handle; peel. Put the potatoes through a potato ricer or food mill or mash them until very smooth. Set aside.

Step 2

Meanwhile as potatoes cook and cool, prepare the filling by mixing the meat with very finely chopped onion. Season with salt and black pepper, add finely chopped parsley and dill to taste. Mix together well. Set aside in refrigerator until ready to use.

Step 3

Peel the remaining raw potatoes and very finely grate them using the finest side of a box grater or an electric potato grater. Line a bowl with cheesecloth or a clean cotton towel, dump in the grated potatoes. Use cloth to squeeze out all the juice into a small bowl; reserve juices. Allow the juice to sit aside for 5 minutes; it will start to separate and the heavier potato starch will drop to the bottom. Reserve for use in the next step.

Step 4

In a mixing bowl add the riced/mashed potatoes, the squeezed raw potatoes, salt and the 1 Tablespoon dry potato starch. Now pour off the top watery potato juice slowly from the bowl you squeezed the juices into; you should see a wet potato starch in the bottom of the dish; add this starch to the potato mix, too. (The dry and wet potato starches bind the mixture together.) Mix together well.

Step 5

Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add a pinch of salt

Step 6

Divide potato mix into 6 parts. Taking one, shape it into a flat patty in the palm of your hand, then add a tablespoon of the filling to the middle, bring up the edges of the potato patty to completely enclose the filling, pinch and shape into an oval or round dumpling. Repeat with the other 5 pieces of potato mixture.

Step 7

Put in half or all of the cepelinai, depending on the diameter of the pot; boil for 15 to 20 minutes (until filling is thoroughly cooked), stirring gently and occasionally. Remove with slotted spoon to serving plate. Top with onion sauce (below), crumbled bacon, sour cream, parsley, dill.

Step 8

Dice onion. Heat 2 Tablespoons butter and 2 Tablespoons bacon grease or oil in a frying pan. Add onion, season with salt and pepper, if desired. and saute about 5 to 7 minutes or until golden and translucent.

Step 9

Spoon sauce over cepelinai, top with dollop of sour cream and the bacon bits, chopped fresh dill and parsley if desired.