Old-world dumplings with potatoes and meat
8 servings
60 minutes
Vareniki with potatoes and meat are a true culinary classic of Russian cuisine, combining simplicity and rich flavor. The tender dough, thinly rolled and carefully pinched, hides a rich filling inside: soft potatoes with golden caramelized onions or juicy chicken meat enhanced by spices. These vareniki are made with love and patience, and their taste evokes warm memories of home gatherings. After boiling, they are soaked in sour cream sauce with nutmeg, making them even more tender and flavorful. In the old days, such vareniki were a symbol of a cozy and hearty meal passed down through generations, preserving traditions and family recipes. They are perfect for leisurely evenings when you crave something special and warming.
1
Prepare a glass of icy water (put it in the freezer for 30 minutes).
- Water: 1 glass
2
Pour flour into a bowl, make a small indentation in it, and add about 50 grams of softened butter and two raw eggs.
- Wheat flour: 3 glasss
- Butter: 50 g
- Chicken egg: 2 pieces
3
Salt to taste.
4
Take a glass of icy water in your left hand and pour the water in a thin stream into the same hole where you placed the oil and eggs. With your right hand, stir the dough so that it gradually thickens and becomes firmer.
- Water: 1 glass
5
When all the water is mixed with flour, butter, eggs, and salt, sprinkle some flour on the table and place all the contents of the bowl on the table.
- Wheat flour: 3 glasss
6
Continue kneading the dough on the table. This dough should not be stiff. Such dough rolls out easily and does not tear. When the dough is ready, it must be allowed to rest in a bowl covered with a towel.
7
The time spent on the filling will be enough for rest.
8
For the filling, finely chop the onion (I grate it using a Berner grater). Sauté it in vegetable oil until pink, definitely sprinkle with a pinch of sugar for good caramelization. Add salt and pepper.
- Onion: 6 pieces
9
Boil the potatoes and mash them with a masher, adding a third of all the fried onions with fat, then salt and pepper again.
- Potato: 500 g
- Onion: 6 pieces
10
Chop the boiled chicken breast in a food processor, and add a third of the fried onion to the minced meat.
- Chicken breast fillet: 500 g
- Onion: 6 pieces
11
Divide the dumpling dough into 4 parts. Roll each part thinly (the dough rolls out well and doesn't tear) and cut out circles with a glass. Place as much filling as possible and pinch.
12
Meat dumplings should be sealed with circles, while potato ones are usually cooked in boiling salted water until they float (slightly lift with a spoon).
13
Leave the last third of the onion for the sauce: add sour cream, salt, pepper, and nutmeg to the onion.
- Sour cream: 150 g
14
Transfer the dumplings to a ceramic pot, pour in the sauce, and shake under the lid for even distribution.