Potato dumplings with Schabziger bear’s garlic butter

Ingredients for 15 dumplings

Dumpling dough

• 3 large potatoes, floury cooking
• 1 free range egg
• 100 g white flour
• A little salt and nutmeg

Filling

• 40 g bacon, in strips
• 80 g double cream cream cheese
• 40 g Tilsiter, mild, grated
• A little salt and paprika powder

Schabziger wild garlic butter

• 50 g of the Glarner Schabziger-Stöckli, grated
• 100 g butter
• Fresh wild garlic, plucked or young whole leaves
• 1 pinch salt
• 1-2 liters of peanut or frying oil for frying

Here’s how

1. Boil the potatoes in their skins until soft, then peel them and let them cool down a bit.
2. While the potatoes are cooking, brown the bacon for the filling in a frying pan and fry for about 5 minutes until crispy. Let this cool a bit and mix with the drippings, cream cheese, cheese and spices. Then form 15 balls the size of a 1-Fränkler, spread on a flat plate and place in the refrigerator.
3. Mash the potatoes with a potato masher – and if you don’t have one – with a fork. Add the remaining ingredients and mix well. On a well-floured surface, flatten/roll out the dumpling dough or flatten with your hands. Use enough flour so that it doesn’t stick. Now cut out 15 rounds with a cookie cutter (8-10 cm diameter). If you prefer a pragmatic approach, cut 15 pieces of the same size with a knife. Now place the cool balls in the center and coat them evenly with the dough piece.
4. In the boiling salted water, let the dumplings steep until they float to the surface. Remove from hot water with a skimmer and drain well. Do this with all the dumplings in portions.
5. In another saucepan or deep fryer, heat oil until hot. Test with a little flour to make sure the oil is hot but not too hot. The flour should be lightly browned, not too dark. Now deep-fry the dumplings in small portions until golden brown all around and drain well on household paper.
6. Meanwhile, brown the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat* and add the Schabziger and wild garlic. Toss briefly and keep warm on lowest setting.
7. Now arrange the warm dumplings as desired and drizzle with a little butter.

*) Brown butter or nut butter is formed when the egg whites caramelize due to the heat. It is therefore important to follow this process closely, because if the butter gets too hot, it will burn and then unfortunately become inedible. Brown butter adds the finishing touch to salad dressings, sauces or even sweet dishes.

… this and other (Schabziger) recipes are also available at CuliNatalie.com