Kartoffel Klosse (Best Potato Dumplings) with Cheese and Onions

If you like mashed potatoes, you’ll love this tasty kartoffel klosse (also written together as kartoffelklosse or kartoffelkloesse)! This adapted German recipe yields tender potato dumplings studded with green onions and mozzarella cheese for a tasty dish that can stand up on its own or accompany your main dish of choice.

What is Kartoffel Klosse?

Kartoffel is German for potato, and some argue that boiled dumpling is not an exciting enough translation for how delicious klosse (also transliterated as kloess) or knoedle (another name for a similar dish) is. However, it appears to be the best one we’ve got.

Traditional kartoffel klosse is a simple dish with only potatoes, egg, flour, salt, and a hint of nutmeg (and optional starch). This is because it usually accompanies a full German meal, including gravy and sauerkraut alongside something like sauerbraten as the main dish. With all those flavors going on, a simple potato dish is all you need.

Adaptations

However, I rarely cook more than one course at a time so that I’m not stuck in the kitchen all day. Also, being vegetarian, I don’t eat many of the items that normally accompany kartoffel klosse. For these reasons, I added more flavorings (garlic, pepper, cheese, and onions) to make this recipe more exciting as a standalone dish.

If you would prefer to skip the extra ingredients, a common gravy for this dish is made from butter and diced white onions. Feel free to experiment as you’d like.

Sometimes people stuff these with croutons of dried bread to soak up excess moisture. Around Christmas, people stuff them with prunes. Another option is stuffing them with meat.

If you have leftovers (we didn’t have very many), a common way to enjoy these is to slice them up and fry them for breakfast the next morning.

Why don’t you peel the potatoes before boiling? That sounds easier.

As far as I can tell, this traditional cooking method preserves more starch, which is what holds the dumplings together. This is also why I changed potatoes mid-recipe. As you can see from the ingredients photo, I had pulled out some fresh baby potatoes. However, I read that old potatoes work better for this recipe so switched to some slightly aged Yukon gold potatoes. The starch and sugar content of potatoes increases with age, again helping this dish stick together.

In addition, many nutrients are located in or just below the skin. Once the potatoes are boiled, you can peel just the skin off quite easily, leaving many nutrients behind. If you peel them while they are raw with a vegetable peeler, you end up taking away quite a bit of potato with the skin, so you miss out on some of the things that make potatoes healthy.

Potatoes in History

Red potatoes appear to be the traditional choice for kartoffel klosse. Many modern recipes use russet potatoes, but they did not come about until the 1800s in Idaho. A man named Luther Burbank cultivated them to improve disease resistance. (If you are curious about the political and legal intrigues involved in trying to get a new variety of plant patented, you can read more here.)

As I mentioned in my recipe for tallarin saltado, potatoes are native to Peru, around the region of Lake Titicaca. Later, in the second half of the 16th century, Spanish conquistadors brought them home to Europe. There, potatoes slowly but surely became a popular, inexpensive staple crop, particularly in Ireland.

Potatoes are now the fourth-largest food crop in the world, following corn (maize), wheat, and rice.

This little known history of potatoes is remarkably similar to the little known history of tomatoes, also from Peru, and also in the nightshade family.

Kartoffel Klosse Ingredients

Before you begin, you will need:

Edible Ingredients In Kartoffel Klosse

• 4 potatoes (I used Yukon gold potatoes)
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1 Tbsp corn starch (potato starch would be good if you can find it)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/4 cup green onions, roughly chopped (primarily the green parts, not the whites)

Tools

• Pot or saucepan for boiling potatoes and dumplings
• Measuring cups and spoons
• Slotted spoon for removing cooked dumplings from hot water
• Knife and cutting board for onions unless pre-chopped
• Cheese grater unless pre-shredded

How to Make Kartoffel Klosse

First, prep the potatoes

1. To begin, wash and scrub your potatoes. Place them in a pot of water over high heat and add salt. Once the water has come to a boil, turn the heat down to medium and boil the potatoes for about 40-42 minutes or until tender. You can test them using a sharp knife.
2. Next, drain the potatoes and set them somewhere (like a cutting board or plate) to cool for about five minutes. You can turn them halfway to encourage faster cooling. At this point, you should be able to just pull the skin off of the potatoes with your fingers.
3. Once the potatoes are peeled, roughly chop them so they will be easier to mash later, and put them in the fridge to chill for half an hour.

Make the dumplings

1. While the potatoes are chilling, you can wash and chop your green onions, and if you have a block of cheese you can grate some.
2. When the potatoes are chilled, use a fork to mash them. Stir in the flour, corn starch, salt, garlic, and black pepper.
3. At this point, you can place your pot of water on the stove over high heat and add salt.
4. Now, add in the egg, cheese, and onions to the potato mixture.
5. Then, use a 1/4 cup measuring cup as your scoop and start rolling the mixture into spheres.
6. Once the water is at a simmer, turn down the heat and add the dumplings. Only 4-5 will fit at a time in a saucepan, so I did two batches. Try not to let them touch while cooking so they don’t stick together and then fall apart when you take them out. Cook for about 10 minutes or until the dumplings float to the top.
7. Remove the dumplings with a slotted spoon. You can cover the done ones so they stay warm while you cook the next batch. Serve and enjoy!

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Variations on this Kartoffel Klosse recipe

As I mentioned earlier, traditionally, this dish is made with a hint of nutmeg but mostly left quite plain. This is because people serve it with flavorful foods and rich sauces. If you’d like, try this dish the authentic way.

These would be delicious with diced green chiles! Feel free to add whatever flavoring you’d like.

Many people add breadcrumbs to the recipe. This sounds like a tasty addition.

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RELATED POTATO RECIPES

• Deviled potatoes (think deviled eggs, but more delicious and vegan)
• Korean sweet potato fries
• Harissa aioli with crispy roasted potatoes
• German potato soup

I hope you enjoy this recipe for kartoffel klosse, or potato dumplings!