Potato Dumplings with Smoked Meat

FILLING PROCEDURE

• 1
  Finely chop the meat and onion.
• 2
  In a pan over medium heat, melt the butter, add the onion, and let it caramelize, stirring frequently. Transfer the contents of the pan to a bowl, add the chopped meat, 2 tablespoons of water, and the remaining ingredients, then mix. Let it rest in the refrigerator for an hour. Then divide the meat mixture into 20 equally sized portions.

FINISHING PROCEDURE

• 1
  Finely chop the onion. In a pan over low heat, melt the lard, add the onion, and sauté for 20 minutes until golden, stirring occasionally. Set the pan aside.
• 2
  Mix the sour cream with salt and pepper and refrigerate.

DUMPLING PROCEDURE

• 1
  Boil the potatoes in their skins in salted water until almost tender. Then let them cool down and peel them while lukewarm.
• 2
  Bring a large quantity of salted water to a boil in a pot (see TIP).
• 3
  Finely grate the prepared potatoes into a bowl, add the other ingredients, and quickly mix everything into a compact dough. On a floured surface, roll out the dough into a 0.5 cm thick sheet. Cut out circles with a 9 cm diameter cutter. Quickly re-work the remaining dough and cut out more circles until you have 20 circles. Place a portion of the filling in the center of each circle, fold the dough over, and press the edges together.
• 4
  Place 10 dumplings into the prepared boiling water. Cook for 2 minutes and transfer them with a slotted spoon to a bowl. Cook the second half in the same way.
• 5
  Heat the pan with lard and onion.
• 6
  Serve the dumplings with sautéed onion and sour cream, drizzled with lard.