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Kopytka with buttered breadcrumbs in a white-blue bowl.
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5 from 3 votes

Kopytka recipe (Polish potato dumplings)

Prep Time25 minutes
Cook Time3 minutes
Total Time28 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Author: Aleksandra

Ingredients

  • 2 lbs (900g) potatoes starchy/mealy type like russets
  • 1 egg
  • 1 1/2 cups (190g) all-purpose flour + more for working with the dough
  • 1 teaspoon fine sea salt

Instructions

  • Peel and cook the potatoes until fork-tender. Drain and put back in the pot. Put the pot back on the burner and cook the drained potatoes for about a minute over medium heat to let the excess moisture evaporate. Take the pot off the heat.
  • Mash the potatoes (while still hot). The best tool for mashing potatoes is a potato ricer but you can also use a regular potato masher. Do not mash them for too long.
  • Let the potatoes cool (they can be cold or just slightly warm).
  • Add lightly beaten egg, salt, and flour to the potatoes.
  • Knead the dough until it comes together but do not overwork it (I usually start mixing the ingredients with a wooden spoon and then knead it with my hands). You can add more flour if the dough does not come together and is sticky. The amount of flour specified in the recipe is an estimate - the amount of the flour needed may be different depending on the potatoes and the flour type/brand. The dough should be soft but not sticky, it should hold together.
  • Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and divide into 4 parts. Roll each part into 1,5-2 inch (4-5cm) thick logs. You can dust the dough and your hands lightly with flour. Cut at an angle into 2-inch (5 cm) dumplings.
  • Cook the dumplings in batches (about 10 dumplings per batch) in a large pot filled with salted water, about 2-3 minutes, counting from the moment when the dumplings float to the surface of the water. The cooking time may be different depending on the size of the dumplings - you can cook test one dumpling and cut it in half to see if there is raw batter in the middle.
  • Remove from the pot with a slotted spoon.
  • Enjoy!

Notes

  • Mashed potatoes should be really smooth otherwise your dumplings will be lumpy.
  • You can use leftover mashed potatoes to make these dumplings, but don't use mashed potatoes mixed with milk and butter, just plain potatoes.
  • Kopytka without an egg - just add 1 Tbsp of flour + 1 Tbsp of potato starch (or corn starch) to the dough. They are very good, but slightly more chewy.
  • How to serve these dumplings:
    • savory: with any sauce (like mushroom sauce) or gravy, with buttered breadcrumbs (Add 1/3 cup of plain breadcrumbs (40g) to a dry pan and toast them, stirring constantly and making sure not to burn them, until they are golden brown in color. Next, add 1/4 cup of butter (60g) and stir until the butter is melted. You can add more butter if you want it more runny.).
    • sweet: toasted or buttered breadcrumbs and cinnamon sugar - fruit sauce (there are more examples written in the post).
  • How to measure flour: Fluff the flour by stirring it in the bag/flour container with a spoon. Spoon the flour and sprinkle it into your measuring cup. Sweep off the excess flour with the back of a knife. 1 cup of flour can weigh 120-150g, depending on how you’re filling your cup. Don’t scoop the flour directly into the measuring cup, which can compact it. 1 cup of flour in my recipes weighs 125g.
  • Storage and freezing instructions:
    • How to store kopytka: you can store cooked dumplings in the fridge for up to 3 days. Toss them with melted butter so they don't stick to each other.
    • How to reheat them: The best way to reheat kopytka is to pan-fry them in a pan with butter until golden and crispy.
    • How to freeze potato dumplings: you can freeze uncooked or cooked dumplings.
      • Uncooked dumplings: place them on a tray dusted with flour (spacing them apart), freeze until solid (about 2h), then transfer to a container/zip-lock bags. How to cook them: do not thaw them, add them to the boiling water straight from the freezer. Cook like freshly-made dumplings (about 2-3 minutes). -
      • Cooked dumplings: first, let them cool completely. Freeze them like described above. You can thaw them on the counter/in the fridge, then pan-fry with butter in a pan or add them to boiling water for a brief moment to thaw them and warm them up.
    • How to make them ahead:
      • you can make mashed potatoes, store them in the fridge for up to 3 days, then make the dough
      • you can also make the dough and store it in the fridge for up to 24 hours, add more flour before shaping the dumplings if the dough is too sticky
  • Calories: 1 serving (1/6 of the recipe). This is only an estimate!

Nutrition

Calories: 229kcal