Zeppelins with minced meat
9 servings
40 minutes
Cepelinai are a traditional dish of Baltic cuisine, especially popular in Lithuania. These hearty potato dumplings resemble small airships and have a tender yet dense texture with a rich flavor from the pork filling with onions and spices. The potato dough combines boiled and raw potatoes, creating an amazing balance of softness and lightness. After boiling, cepelinai acquire a firm consistency, and their taste is particularly enhanced when served with a classic sauce made from fried bacon, mushrooms, onions, and sour cream. This dish is perfect for cold weather: it is nourishing, warming, and pairs wonderfully with homemade pickles or fresh herbs. Cepelinai are not just food; they are part of culinary traditions passed down through generations.
1
Mix minced pork with chopped onion, add egg, salt, pepper, and mix thoroughly. The filling for cepelins is ready.
- Minced pork: 1 kg
- Onion: 1 piece
- Chicken egg: 2 pieces
- Salt: to taste
- Ground black pepper: to taste
2
Grate raw potatoes on a fine grater, squeeze out the juice, and set aside for 15 minutes to let the starch settle. Mix the squeezed raw potatoes with boiled potatoes, add flour and baking soda, and knead the dough.
- Potato: 4 kg
- Wheat flour: 4 tablespoons
- Soda: pinch
3
Take the prepared dough in your palm, form a flatbread, place the filling in the center, and shape it like a dirigible.
- Minced pork: 1 kg
4
Lower the prepared zeppelin into boiling salted water and cook for 25 minutes. It should first float and then sink — this indicates its readiness.
- Salt: to taste
5
The traditional sauce for cepelinai is prepared as follows: finely chop the onion and bacon, and place them in a hot pan to fry. Also chop the mushrooms and add them to the bacon and onion. Once everything is fried, add sour cream and spices.
- Onion: 1 piece
- Bacon: 200 g
- Mushrooms: 300 g
- Sour cream 20%: 4 tablespoons
- Salt: to taste