Potato Dumplings

My grandmother served potato dumplings and sauerkraut on holidays. She made big round dumplings, and the dumplings leftovers always quickly disappeared. My favorite way to serve potatoes, especially with soups. Dumplings can also be stuffed with sauerkraut or with dried fruits like plums or apricots. I prefer to use oats over wheat, because Czech dumpling flour is traditionally coarse, and oats make white dumplings, while whole wheat flour colors the dumplings brown.

DUMPLINGS
- 3 medium potatoes, baked and cool, skinned and riced
- 1 cup oatmeal, ground coarse
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1 cup water

Prep: Bake potatoes in microwave (high, 10 min) or oven (350F, 40 min). Allow to cool, then skin and discard skins. With food processor, course grind oatmeal, and mix salt.
Mix Dough: Into mixing bowl, rice potatoes. With fork, mix together potatoes and oats. Splash water and continue to mix until moisture is distributed into dough. Form dough into balls.
Steam: Steaming is most gentle way to cook dumplings, which keeps them from falling apart, and allows dumplings to absorb moisture if needed. Microwave heats quickly and evenly. Place dumpling dough onto plate, with 1/8 cup water to make steam, under plate cover to retain steam. Then cook in microwave on high, covered, 10 min.

Breakfast Potatoes

This makes potatoes that are brown and crispy and coated with seasonings. Cut potatoes use shake and bake method, to coat with seasoning and make potatoes dry and crispy. Mixed with pan roasted vegetables: onion, pepper, garlic and tomato.

POTATOES
4 white potatoes, peeled and diced
SEASONING
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/8 tsp black pepper, ground
1/8 tsp cumin, ground
1/8 tsp red pepper flakes, ground
1 tsp paprka

BASE
1/2 red onion, chopped
1 green sweet pepper, chopped
1 yellow pepper (wax pepper), chopped
SEASONING
1 clove garlic, sliced
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper, ground
MAIN
1 tomato, chopped
FINISH
1 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped

Prep: Peel and chop vegetables. Grind spices. In plastic bag, mix potato seasonings with potatoes until coated.
Bake: Preheat oven 350 F. Bake potatoes 350F on non-stick sheet until soft and done, 45 min, then check and contine bake 450 F until crispy and brown 15 min.
Pan Roast: In saucepan, brown onions, 10 min. Add peppers and continue sweat, 10 min.
Simmer: Add tomato and spices and simmer 10 min.
Finish: Mix fresh cilantro and baked potatoes, and serve.

Pita Pagach

Pagach is a Slavic or Eastern Europe dish of flat bread and topping, traditional for meatless fast days and Christmas Eve. Topping can be potato or cabbage. Served open faced like pizza or folded like calzone. My father remembers his mother making Pagach. Easy to make with whole wheat pita rounds instead of dough and bread from scratch.

Ingredients
BREAD
6 whole wheat pita rounds
TOPPING
1/2 medium onion; chopped
2 large potatoes
1/2 tsp cumin; ground
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp salt
handful fresh parsley

Preparation
To start the topping, in small saucepan, brown onion, 10-20 min. Can save time by browning onions in batches and using saved brown onions. While onions are browning, either boil potatoes with skins until soft, then slip skins and break up, or microwave until soft, cut open and scoop out inside. Grind cumin seed to coarse powder in spice grinder, 10 sec. Deglaze onions with a splash of water and turn down heat. Avoid high heat which can burn paprika. Add cumin, paprika and salt. Mix in potato.
Spread topping onto pita round, and top with fresh parsley. Bake in 400 F oven 7-10 min. Or toast in toaster oven ~3-4 min until bread is just golden and crisp and topping warm. Serve hot and whole.

Spicy Cauliflower and Potato, Aloo Ghobi

This curry starts with a vegetable flavor base of browned onion and tomato, with aromatics and freshly ground whole spices. I like to think of cauliflower as the main ingredient, with potato added. The common Indian name Aloo Gobi has this reversed, potatoes and cauliflower. This dish served dry also makes a good filling for a whole wheat pita.

Ingredients
BASE
1 med onion sliced
2 med plum tomatoes diced
1 inch ginger peeled, chopped or grated
2 cloves garlic peeled, crushed and chopped
1 tsp cumin seed ground
1 tsp coriander seed ground
1/4 tsp red chili pepper ground
1/8 tsp black peppercorn ground
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp salt
MAIN
1 small head cauliflower chopped (or 1/2 large head)
2 medium potatoes peeled and cubed
FINISH
1/4 tsp garam masala
1 handful fresh cilantro chopped

Preparation
To grind whole spices: Grind cumin seed, corriander seeds, red chili pepper flakes and black peppercorns into coarse powder in spice grinder. Set aside. This step can be done while browning onions, along with prepping the main ingredients.
To start base: Brown onion, lowering heat once it colors, 10-12 min. Add splash of water, ginger, garlic, and ground spices, and simmer 2-3 min.
Main: Then add chopped cauliflower and potatoes, stir, cover and continue to simmer, 30-45 min.
To finish: Uncover and mix in garam masala, continue simmer 5 min, adding or boiling water as necessary for moist gravy thickness. Garnish with fresh corriander leaves and serve hot with brown rice or whole wheat flatbread.