Lithuanian Cepelinai Dumplings (Printable Version)

Hearty Lithuanian potato dumplings filled with seasoned meats, served with sour cream and bacon sauce.

# What You’ll Need:

→ Dumplings

01 - 3.3 lbs starchy potatoes, peeled
02 - 2 medium boiled potatoes, mashed
03 - 1 teaspoon salt
04 - 1 tablespoon potato starch (optional, for binding)

→ Meat Filling

05 - 9 oz ground pork
06 - 5 oz ground beef
07 - 1 small onion, finely chopped
08 - 1 clove garlic, minced
09 - 1 teaspoon salt
10 - ½ teaspoon black pepper

→ Sauce

11 - 5 oz bacon or smoked pork belly, diced
12 - 1 small onion, finely chopped
13 - 1¼ cups sour cream
14 - 1 tablespoon fresh dill, chopped (optional)

# Step-by-Step Guide:

01 - Grate raw peeled potatoes using the fine side of a grater. Place the grated potatoes in cheesecloth and squeeze out excess liquid. Let the liquid stand, pour off the water, and reserve the sedimented potato starch.
02 - Combine the squeezed grated potatoes, mashed boiled potatoes, salt, and reserved potato starch in a large bowl. Mix until a cohesive dough forms. Add potato starch if the mixture is too wet.
03 - Mix ground pork, ground beef, chopped onion, minced garlic, salt, and black pepper thoroughly in a bowl.
04 - With wet hands, take a portion of potato dough roughly the size of a large egg, flatten it, and place a heaping tablespoon of meat filling in the center. Encase the filling with the dough, shaping into an oval dumpling and sealing completely. Repeat for remaining portions.
05 - Bring a large pot of salted water to a gentle simmer. Gently slide dumplings in batches to prevent sticking. Cook for 25–30 minutes until dumplings float and feel firm.
06 - Fry diced bacon in a skillet over medium heat until crisp. Add onions and sauté until golden. Stir in sour cream and dill, warming gently without boiling.
07 - Plate hot dumplings and spoon bacon and sour cream sauce over them.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • The contrast between pillowy potato and savory meat filling is genuinely addictive, almost impossible to stop at one dumpling.
  • That bacon and sour cream sauce turns a simple dish into something restaurant-worthy without pretension.
  • It's surprisingly freezer-friendly, so you can make a batch and have dinner solved for a hectic week.
02 -
  • Squeezing out that potato liquid isn't optional—it's the difference between dumplings that hold their shape and ones that fall apart, and I learned this the hard way by skipping the step once.
  • A gentle simmer is non-negotiable; aggressive boiling will shatter your dumplings and scatter all that filling into the cooking water, turning your dinner into disappointment.
  • Sour cream added to heat needs respect—add it slowly and keep the temperature gentle, or it will curdle and turn your beautiful sauce grainy and unappetizing.
03 -
  • Make a double batch and freeze the uncooked dumplings on a baking sheet before transferring to a freezer bag—you can cook them directly from frozen, adding just 5–10 minutes to the cooking time and keeping dinner in your back pocket.
  • If you're worried about dumplings sticking together during cooking, dust them lightly with potato starch before they go in the water, a small detail that prevents big problems.
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