Name: Kluchy warmińskie: Warmian potato dumplings
Prep time: 35 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 60 min
Yield: 6 servings, about 90 small dumplings
Cuisine: Polish
Ingredients: 1,000 g peeled potatoes, finely grated; 30 g plain wheat flour; 4 L water; 24 g fine salt; most remains in the discarded water; 300 g Polish curd cheese (twaróg), crumbled; 150 g pork back fat, finely diced

A wide view of „Kluchy warmińskie: Warmian potato dumplings“ arranged on a table for serving.

Yield 6 servings, about 90 small dumplings

Serving size about 15 dumplings with twaróg and cracklings

Prep time 35 minutes

Cook time 25 minutes

Ingredients ↓

Recipe at a glance

Kluchy warmińskie: Warmian potato dumplings

Excerpt: Small, irregular grated-potato dumplings from Warmia, served with Polish curd cheese and crisp pork cracklings.

Kluchy warmińskie, also called kluski warmińskie, are small Warmian dumplings made from grated potato and wheat flour. They are irregular pieces about 2–3 cm across with a slightly firm texture; their color can be beige, gray or bluish depending on the potatoes.

The dough contains only potato and wheat flour; salt goes into the cooking water. Grate and press excess liquid from the potatoes, mix them briefly with the flour, then spoon small irregular pieces into salted boiling water. Drain and rinse the cooked dumplings briefly with cold water to limit sticking.

This measured home recipe makes about 90 small dumplings, or roughly 15 per serving for six people. Serve as a main dish with crumbled Polish twaróg and cracklings from rendered pork back fat; these are accompaniments, not ingredients in the potato dough.

Keep raw flour and uncooked potato mixture away from ready-to-eat foods. Do not taste the mixture raw; wash hands, tools and work surfaces after handling it. Cook the dumplings until they float, then simmer briefly until the flour is fully cooked. Cool leftovers in shallow containers within 2 hours, refrigerate at or below 4 °C for 3–4 days, and reheat to 74 °C.

Tips for success

Use firm, starchy potatoes and grate them finely so the mixture holds together.
Press out excess liquid through a clean cloth or fine sieve, but do not leave the grated potato standing while you prepare other components.
Mix in the measured flour only briefly; the mixture should hold when pressed but remain soft enough to cut with a spoon.
Keep each dumpling small, about 2–3 cm across, as described for the Warmian preparation.
Cook a small batch first and keep the pot at a steady boil without crowding it.
Rinse the drained dumplings briefly with cold water to limit sticking, then serve them hot with the prepared topping.

Ingredients

Potato dumplings

1,000 g peeled potatoes, finely grated
30 g plain wheat flour

Salted boiling water

4 L water
24 g fine salt; most remains in the discarded water

Twaróg and crackling topping

300 g Polish curd cheese (twaróg), crumbled
150 g pork back fat, finely diced

Method

Directions

Render the pork fat.Put the diced back fat in a small heavy saucepan. Render over low heat for 12–18 minutes, stirring now and then, until the cracklings turn golden and the fat is clear. Keep warm.
Grate and drain the potatoes.Peel and finely grate the potatoes into a large bowl. Transfer them to a clean cloth or fine sieve and press out excess liquid. Work promptly so the grated potatoes do not discolor.
Mix the dough.Add the measured flour to the drained potatoes and mix briefly until evenly combined. The soft mixture should hold together when pressed but remain spoonable. Do not taste it raw.
Bring the water to a boil.Add 24 g salt to 4 L water in the 8 L pot and bring to a steady boil. Spread one portion of the potato mixture on a clean board or the underside of an inverted flat lid.
Drop and cook the dumplings.Use a spoon to cut irregular pieces about 2–3 cm across directly from the spread mixture into the boiling water. Cook in batches without crowding. When the dumplings float, continue boiling briefly for about 1–2 minutes, until they are firm but cooked through.
Drain and rinse.Lift the dumplings into a colander with a slotted spoon, drain, and rinse briefly with cold water to prevent sticking. Repeat with the remaining mixture, returning the water to a boil between batches.
Serve with the topping.Divide the hot dumplings among six servings. Add crumbled twaróg and a modest spoonful of warm rendered fat and cracklings.

Nutrition and allergens

Energyabout 440 kcal per serving
Proteinabout 12 g
Fatabout 28 g
Saturated fatabout 11 g
Carbohydratesabout 34 g
Fibreabout 4 g
Sodiumabout 500 mg

Contains wheat and gluten; twaróg contains milk. The topping contains pork and is not suitable for a vegetarian diet. Keep raw flour and dough away from ready-to-eat foods, do not taste the uncooked mixture, and wash hands and surfaces after handling. Cook the dumplings through. Refrigerate cooked leftovers within 2 hours at or below 4 °C for 3–4 days and reheat to 74 °C.

Nutrition and allergens

Serving, make-ahead and storage: Serve kluchy warm as a main dish with twaróg and crisp cracklings. Keep the topping separate until serving so the curd stays crumbly and the cracklings retain some texture.

Serving, make-ahead and storage: Grated potato can discolor and release more liquid as it stands, so grate, drain and mix the dough just before cooking.

Serving, make-ahead and storage: Cool cooked dumplings in shallow containers and refrigerate within 2 hours. Store at or below 4 °C for 3–4 days. Reheat leftovers thoroughly to 74 °C. Keep the cheese and cracklings separate until serving.

Serving, make-ahead and storage: Use plain wheat flour rather than self-rising flour, which would change the dumpling texture. Potato is the defining ingredient in this preparation.

Estimate basis: one sixth of the recipe, about 15 dumplings with twaróg and a modest share of rendered pork fat and cracklings. Generic food-composition values were used for potatoes, wheat flour, curd cheese and pork; the salt in the boiling water is mostly discarded, and the amount of topping eaten can vary.

In closing

Kluchy warmińskie are small, irregular Warmian dumplings made from grated potato and wheat flour.
Serve them hot with crumbled twaróg and pork cracklings for the traditional-style meal described here.

Kluchy warmińskie: Warmian potato dumplings

Tips for success

Ingredients

Potato dumplings

Salted boiling water

Twaróg and crackling topping

Method

Nutrition and allergens

Nutrition and allergens

In closing

Polish National Dishes

Polish pork goulash (gulasz wieprzowy)

Polish-Style Roasted Pork Neck (Karkówka Pieczona)

Polish Sauerkraut with Dried Mushrooms and Linseed Oil (Kapusta z olejem lnianym i grzybami)