Kluski śląskie are one of the foods that you either love or hate, but in this case, it’s down not to the flavour, but texture. Many rejoice upon the sight of these cute little dumplings, that look like a dimple in a plump cheek. But many find them repulsive, and thought of putting one in their mouths fills them with horror.
I, personally, have always loved kluski śląskie. I find them comforting, homely, and pretty tasty at that. Usually eaten with a sauce or a stew (meaty ones being common companions to the dumplings), or by themselves with fried onion and/or bacon. They are an inseparable part of many family meals, but also special feasts: christenings, weddings, or Christmas (the latter being the case in Silesia region).
Kluski śląskie are made of freshly cooked mashed potatoes, with the addition of potato starch, salt and egg. They are then shaped and boiled carefully, with a lot of attention given to prevent overcooking them. They come from the Silesia region in Poland, but variations are popular in Germany and Czechia as well.
As for the texture: let’s just say it’s interesting. A bit gummy, a bit chewy, I have always thought of them as pretty fun, as they are quite bouncy for a dumpling. The recipe below comes from my Mum, who doesn’t like them all that much but prevails in making them for the sake of kluski-loving family members. And thanks for that!
KLUSKI ŚLĄSKIE (SILESIAN POTATO DUMPLINGS)
Ingredients
potatoes
potato starch
1 egg
salt
How to make?
1. Peel and boil the potatoes. When cooked, drain and mush them, so there are no lumps. Place in a bowl, even out the surface and set aside to cool for a bit.
2. Take out 1/4 of the potatoes and set aside. Fill the hole with potato starch, adding the same amount as the potatoes that were taken out.
3. Add an egg, the leftover potatoes and salt. Knead until combined and smooth. If needed, add a little bit more potato starch.
4. Take a walnut-sized piece of kneaded potato dough and form it into a little ball with your hands. Flatten the ball slightly and make a small hole in the middle with your finger or the end of a wooden spoon. Line ready dumplings on a board sprinkled with potato starch.
5. Boil a pot of water. When boiling, add some salt, turn the heat down and start cooking the dumplings. It’s best to cook them in small batches, stirring delicately from time to time to prevent them from sticking to the bottom of the pot.
6. Cook the dumplings for about 2 minutes from the time the water boiled again after you’ve added kluski to it. Take out the dumplings with a slotted spoon onto a plate or a bowl.
7. Serve with some fried onion with bacon, or as a side for dinner in the same manner as you’d serve mashed potatoes. Kluski śląskie go especially well with meaty sauces and stews.
Smacznego,
aho
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aho's homemade food 
Gosh, I don’t know how these could not be loved by all, but I do understand some people have a problem with texture. My girlfriend can’t eat any liver dish because of texture. So I get it. But they look fun and fabulous to me!
Thanks! And yeah, I suppose we all have foods that we dread, and we don’t really know how :))
What could I use as a substitute for potato starch? Arrowroot/tapioca flour or brown rice flour?
Good question! Never made it with anything but potato starch, but if I was to guess, I’d probably go with the rice flour, maybe even mixed half-half with wheat flour.
Mine came out a bit mushy. Maybe because I only had Yukon gold potatoes and used white flour and rice flour. Is the “dough” supposed to be like noodle dough or mashed potato-like?
Oh, sorry to hear that! It must have been because the dough was a bit too loose. And a different flour might have played its role, too. Were they tasty at least? If you do decide to make them again, it’s best to add more flour if you feel that the dough is too sticky :)) It should be soft, but firm enough to form a ball out of it.
Thanks for letting me know! I’ll make it clearer in the recipe ♥️
I’ll definitely make them again. So cute! Tasted good.
Thanks a lot! And happy you liked them 😊
Oooh, I cannot wait to try these, they look amazing..
Thanks!
They are amazing
Yum, they look deliciously
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