Swedish dumplings with fried kale and grated almond vinaigrette
- Prepare
- less than 30 mins
- Cook
- 30 mins to 1 hour
- Serve
- Serves 4
These buttery, porky potato dumplings are the ultimate comfort food! Serve with lingonberry jam and a crisp kale salad alongside for a little freshness.
Ingredients
For the Swedish dumplings
- 800g/1lb 12oz starchy potatoes (such as Russets or King Edwards), peeled
- 1 tbsp butter, plus more to fry (optional) and serve
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 200g/7oz cooked pork or raw bacon, finely chopped
- ½ tsp allspice (optional)
- 1 free-range egg
- 200–250g/7–9oz plain flour
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 4 tbsp lingonberry or redcurrant jam
- fried lardons (optional)
For the fried kale
- 250g/9oz kale, tough stalks and ribs removed
- 2 tbsp sunflower oil
- 50g/1¾oz flaked almonds (or 50g/1¾oz blanched whole almonds, grated), plus extra to serve
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
- 2 tsp salt
Method
To make the Swedish dumplings, bring a large pan of salted water to the boil over a high heat. Add the whole potatoes and boil for 20 minutes, or until soft.
Drain well, leave them to steam dry for 10 minutes, then mash thoroughly using a potato masher (or ricer) until smooth. Tip the mash into a mixing bowl and leave to cool.
Meanwhile, make the filling. Melt the butter in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Add the onion and fry for 5–7 minutes, until soft and translucent.
Add the meat and allspice and cook for 5 minutes, until the pork is heated through or the bacon is cooked, then season to taste with salt and pepper. Leave the mixture to cool.
To finish the dough, crack the egg into the mash, add 200g/7oz of the flour and season with salt.
Mix to combine to a soft dough, adding the extra flour a little at a time and kneading until the dough is soft and no longer sticky (you may not need all the flour).
Divide the dough into 24 equal portions. Form each portion into a ball, then flatten it a little and make a thumbprint hollow in the centre. Place 1 tablespoon of the filling into the hollow, then gather the sides over the filling to enclose, pinching the edges of the dough together in a tight seal. Repeat for all the portions of dough.
Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil over a high heat. Add the dumplings and boil for about 8–10 minutes, until they float to the surface.
Scoop out the dumplings with a slotted spoon. If you like, at this point you can briefly fry them in a little butter over a medium heat, turning until golden.
To make the fried kale, weigh out and separate 300g/10½oz of the kale. Heat the sunflower oil in a large saucepan over a medium-high heat. Add the separated 300g/10½oz kale and fry for 2 minutes, turning occasionally, until reduced and crispy. Drain on kitchen paper.
Shred the remaining 200g/7oz raw kale and tip into a serving bowl with 2 teaspoons of salt. Massage the salt into the shredded leaves and let sit for 5 minutes until the kale becomes tender.
Meanwhile combine the almonds, garlic, olive oil and vinegar in a bowl.
Tip the drained crispy kale into the bowl with the raw kale and pour the dressing over the top. Toss to coat and combine, then serve with extra almonds over the top.
Serve the dumplings doused in warm, melted butter with spoonfuls of lingonberry jam and the kale salad on the side. A topping of crispy, fried lardons is tasty too.
