Lithuanian Potato Dumplings with Meat Filling (Cepelinai)

Thermomix recipe: Lithuanian Potato Dumplings with Meat Filling (Cepelinai). Ready in 75 minutes. Serves 2. Step-by-step Thermomix instructions on Chef Amai.

Ingredients

• 260 g boiled potatoes, cooled
• 500 g raw starchy potatoes (e.g., Russet, Maris Piper)
• 1 tsp salt, plus more for boiling water
• 1-2 tbsp potato starch (optional, if dough is too wet)
• 100 g onion, divided (50g for filling, 50g for sauce)
• 1 tsp oil (e.g., sunflower or rapeseed)
• 150 g minced pork (or pork and beef mix)
• 1/2 tsp salt (for filling)
• 1/4 tsp black pepper (for filling)
• 50 g smoked streaky bacon, diced
• 100 g sour cream
• 1 tbsp fresh dill, chopped (optional, for garnish)

Instructions

1. Add 260 g cooled boiled potatoes to the clean mixing bowl. Mash 10 sec / Speed 4. Transfer the mashed potatoes to a large mixing bowl and set aside.
2. Peel 500 g raw potatoes and cut them into 3-4 cm pieces. Add half of the raw potato pieces (approx. 250 g) to the clean mixing bowl. Grate 5 sec / Speed 5. Transfer the grated potatoes to the simmering basket lined with a clean kitchen towel or muslin cloth. Squeeze out as much liquid as possible over a separate bowl to collect the potato starch.
3. Repeat the grating and squeezing process with the remaining raw potato pieces, adding them to the simmering basket and squeezing over the same bowl to collect more starch.
4. Let the collected potato liquid sit for 5-10 minutes until the starch settles at the bottom. Carefully pour off the clear liquid, leaving the white potato starch at the bottom. Add this collected starch to the squeezed raw potatoes and mashed boiled potatoes in the large mixing bowl.
5. Add 1 tsp salt to the potato mixture. Mix well by hand until a uniform, firm dough forms. If the dough feels too wet, add 1-2 tbsp store-bought potato starch and mix again.
6. Clean the mixing bowl. Add 50 g onion (for filling) to the bowl. Chop 3 sec / Speed 5. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
7. Add 1 tsp oil to the bowl. Sauté 3 min / 120°C / Speed 1. Add 150 g minced pork, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp black pepper. Mix 10 sec / Reverse / Speed 3. Transfer the meat filling to a small bowl and set aside.
8. Take a portion of the potato dough (about 80-100 g) and flatten it into an oval shape in your palm. Place a spoonful of the meat filling in the center. Carefully fold the dough around the filling, sealing the edges to form an oval-shaped dumpling (zeppelin shape). Repeat this process until all dough and filling are used, yielding approximately 4-5 dumplings.
9. Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a rolling boil on the stovetop. Carefully lower the formed dumplings into the boiling water. Do not overcrowd the pot; cook in batches if necessary. Once the water returns to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 20-25 minutes, or until the dumplings float and are cooked through.
10. While the dumplings are cooking, clean the Thermomix bowl. Add 50 g diced smoked streaky bacon to the bowl. Cook 8 min / 120°C / Speed 1 until crispy. Add 50 g onion (for sauce) to the bowl. Sauté 5 min / 120°C / Speed 1.
11. Add 100 g sour cream to the bowl. Mix 10 sec / Reverse / Speed 2. Gently heat 2 min / 80°C / Reverse / Speed 1. If using, stir in 1 tbsp chopped fresh dill.
12. Remove the cooked dumplings from the water using a slotted spoon. Serve immediately with the warm bacon and sour cream sauce.

View this recipe on Chef Amai — convert any recipe to Thermomix format at chefamai.com.