i dare you to dumpling
Once in awhile (actually, pretty often) I’m just in the mood for some Ukrainian comfort food. These finger dumplings are essentially the Ukrainian version of Italian gnocchi which you may have heard of. These dumplings probably have a more official name in Ukrainian cuisine, but we would just call them “palchyky” which literally translates to “fingers,” for their long, thin shape. The term dumpling is also super broad and mostly just refers to any lump of dough that gets cooked. In this case, it’s really just a mix of potatoes, egg, flour, and some parmesan and spices. You don’t need any special equipment to make these finger dumplings, and once the dough is made, they cook super quickly in boiling water. When you’re ready to serve them, top these little guys with a mixture of butter and bread crumbs along with some freshly grated parm.
⟶ the recipe
Ukrainian finger dumplings (palchyky)
ingredients
3 large potatoes
1 large egg
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan
2 cups all-purpose flour
½ cup butter
½ cup bread crumbs
Prep time
45 minutes
Cook time
15 minutes
Total time
1 hour
4 servings
instructions
Boil potatoes in their skins. Drain and set aside until cool enough to handle. Scrape skin from potatoes with a paring knife. Press potatoes through a ricer, and spread into a thin, even layer on a clean work surface.
In a small bowl, beat together the egg, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Gather cooled potatoes into a mound and form a well in the center. Pour egg mixture into the potato well. Knead the potato and egg mixture together with both hands, gradually adding the grated Parmesan and about 1 ½ cups of flour. Mix with your hands until mixture has formed a smooth, slightly sticky dough. Add more flour as needed.
Place the dough on a lightly floured surface, and cut it into 6 equal pieces. Form dough into a rope, then slice rope into 1-2–inch thick rounds, resembling fingers. Sprinkle the rounds with flour, then press each round lightly with the tines of a fork. Set dumplings on a baking sheet lined with a floured kitchen towel. Repeat with remaining dough.
Fill a large saucepan with salted water, and bring to a boil. Drop dumplings into water, about 6 at a time. Cook, stirring gently, about 1 minute after they rise to the surface of the water. Remove dumplings with a slotted spoon and set aside.
In a small skillet, heat the butter until melted. Add the bread crumbs, and cook until butter has browned, then remove from heat.
Serve dumplings with browned butter and bread crumbs sprinkled on top.
⟶ recipe notes
- If you don’t have a ricer, you can also use a blender or a large food processor to rice the potatoes. Or you can mash them the good old-fashioned way, just make sure there aren’t any big clumps left
⟶ make it ahead
- If you want these to come together quickly on a weeknight or a dinner party, you can always make the dough ahead of time and place it in the fridge wrapped in plastic wrap
- You can also form the dumplings and then freeze them until ready to use. Then, you’ll simply just drop them in boiling water and cook the same way
