Cepelinai or Baltic Dumplings

When I was on a trip through the Baltic states, I found these dumplings the first time in Latvia and a couple of days later in Lithuania. The large potato dumplings are either filled with meat or vegetarian.
Often served with bacon and onions and on top of sauerkraut.

I love dumplings of all kinds and from all countries. I actually started this foodblog with the German love for dumplings.
These Cepelinai are savoury and a full meal for lunch or dinner. I found them on many restaurant menus in Riga and Vilnius. The last time I made them at home was five years ago.

recipe for 4-5 dumplings:
400 g cooked mashed potatoes
400 g raw potatoes, grated and pressed
100 g potato starch
salt
2 wild boar meat sausages or any kind of sausage meat you can get
40 g Tyrolean bacon bits
1 tbsp olive oil
2 spring onions
400 g precooked sauerkraut

Divide the potato dough into 4 or 5 balls, flatten one in your hand and put a piece of sausage in. Form the dumpling around and be careful not leave any openings. They should be closed thight all over.

Bring water with salt to the boil, add a tbsp of potato starch to the water. That prevents the dumplings from falling apart.

Simmer them for 25 min.
In a pan fry onions and bacon and heat up the sauerkraut.