Potato Dumplings with Curd Cheese and Onion Recipe
Potato dumplings with curd cheese and onion are a homestyle Polish dish, very similar in taste to the filling of Russian pierogi, but without the folding and sealing. Soft, springy dumplings are combined with crumbly curd cheese and sweet, golden onion fried in butter. It’s a great way to use up yesterday’s potatoes and make a quick, filling lunch from simple ingredients.
This is a simple, homestyle lunch from the borderlands tradition, inspired by the filling for Russian pierogi but served as quicker dumplings instead. It fits perfectly into the Polish habit of turning yesterday’s potatoes into a new dish.
This is one of those dishes that use leftovers yet taste like a full, carefully prepared meal. The dumplings have a soft, slightly springy texture, and the curd cheese with onion gives that familiar “Russian pierogi” flavor. The dish reheats very well in a pan, gaining a completely new texture the next day.
Why this version works
- It uses cold, well-dried potatoes, so the dough doesn’t absorb excess flour and the dumplings stay soft.
- Flour is added gradually, allowing you to adjust the amount to the potatoes’ moisture instead of following a rigid recipe.
- Slow frying of the onion over medium heat gives a sweet, deep flavor instead of bitter charring.
- Simple ingredients create a flavor very close to Russian pierogi, but without the time-consuming shaping.
Chef's tips
The most common mistake is adding flour until the dough no longer sticks – then the dumplings are hard and rubbery after cooking. It’s better when the mixture is soft and only slightly sticky, while the log holds its shape and doesn’t crack when rolled. If I’m making a larger batch, I pan-fry part of the dumplings in butter right away – once cooled they’re perfect for quick reheating in a dry pan.
How to serve
Serve the dumplings with butter and onion or bacon cracklings and a spoonful of thick sour cream or plain yogurt. Pickled cucumber or a simple cabbage slaw are a great match, cutting through the richness and adding acidity. It makes a good late lunch after work or a warming meal after a winter walk.
Watch out for
- Do not use warm potatoes – they will absorb too much flour and the dumplings will turn out heavy and rubbery.
- Don’t add extra flour “just in case”; the dough should be soft and slightly springy, not completely non-sticky.
- When frying the onion, lower the heat as soon as the edges start to brown, otherwise it will quickly darken and turn bitter.
Ingredients
- cooked potatoes - 700 g
- flour wheat - 150 g
- egg - 1 piece
- semi-fat curd cheese - 200 g
- onion - 2 piece
- butter clarified or oil - 3 tablespoons
- salt
- pepper ground black
Preparation
- Press the cooked potatoes through a ricer or mash them very thoroughly so there are no lumps. Spread them in a thin layer on a plate and set aside until completely cooled and dry to the touch, not warm.
- Add the egg, salt and 130 g flour to the cold potatoes. Knead a soft dough by hand; if it sticks strongly to your hands, add the remaining flour a tablespoon at a time until the dough is soft, elastic and can be formed into a ball.
- Lightly dust the work surface with flour. Divide the dough into 3–4 portions and roll each one gently into a log about 2 cm thick. The log should be smooth, without cracks, and should not flatten under your hand.
- Cut the logs into pieces about 2 cm long to form small dumplings. If needed, dust them lightly with flour, but don’t coat them in a thick layer so they don’t turn out hard after cooking.
- Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Add the dumplings in batches to the vigorously boiling water and gently stir with a spoon so they don’t stick to the bottom – at first they will sink to the bottom of the pot.
- Cook the dumplings for another 2–3 minutes after they float to the surface. When cut in half they should be soft but springy, with no wet, raw center. Lift them out with a slotted spoon onto a serving platter.
- Peel the onions and dice them finely. Heat the clarified butter or oil in a pan over medium heat, add the onion and fry for 8–10 minutes, stirring often, until it softens and becomes evenly translucent.
- When the onion is translucent and the edges start to turn golden, reduce the heat. Fry for another 2–3 minutes until it is soft, golden and slightly sweet, but not dark brown – at that point it turns bitter.
- Arrange portions of hot dumplings on plates. Sprinkle them with curd cheese crumbled between your fingers so you get distinct, soft clumps of cheese rather than a smooth paste.
- Generously spoon the hot onion together with the fat from the pan over the dumplings with cheese, sprinkle with freshly ground pepper and serve immediately while they are very hot and the surface of the dumplings is slightly glossy.
Storage
Store the cooked dumplings in the fridge for up to 2 days, lightly drizzled with oil so they don’t stick together. After pan-frying in butter they become firmer and golden-crisp on the outside while staying soft inside.
I like them best pan-fried the next day in butter until they turn golden and slightly crisp like little pancakes – I often cook extra potatoes on purpose just to have an excuse to make them.
