Lithuanian Cepelinai Dumplings (Printable)

Grated potato dumplings filled with seasoned pork and beef, topped with bacon and sour cream sauce.

# What You'll Need:

→ Dumplings

01 - 3.3 lbs starchy potatoes, peeled
02 - 2 medium boiled and mashed potatoes
03 - 1 teaspoon salt
04 - 1 tablespoon potato starch (optional)

→ Meat Filling

05 - 9 oz ground pork
06 - 5 oz ground beef
07 - 1 small onion, finely chopped
08 - 1 clove garlic, minced
09 - 1 teaspoon salt
10 - ½ teaspoon black pepper

→ Sauce

11 - 5 oz diced bacon or smoked pork belly
12 - 1 small onion, finely chopped
13 - 1¼ cups sour cream
14 - 1 tablespoon fresh dill, chopped (optional)

# Step-by-Step Guide:

01 - Grate raw potatoes finely, wrap in cheesecloth or clean towel and squeeze out excess liquid. Let liquid settle, carefully pour off water, reserving the potato starch at the bottom.
02 - In a large bowl, combine squeezed grated potatoes, mashed boiled potatoes, salt, and reserved potato starch. Mix thoroughly to create a cohesive dough, adding more potato starch if too wet.
03 - Mix ground pork, ground beef, chopped onion, minced garlic, salt, and black pepper until evenly combined.
04 - With wet hands, take a portion of potato dough about the size of a large egg, flatten it slightly, add a heaping tablespoon of meat filling in the center, and carefully enclose filling into an oval-shaped dumpling. Repeat process for remaining dough and filling.
05 - Bring a large pot of salted water to a gentle simmer. Carefully add dumplings in batches, cook for 25 to 30 minutes until dumplings float and are firm to touch.
06 - In a skillet over medium heat, fry diced bacon until crisp. Add chopped onion and sauté until golden. Stir in sour cream and fresh dill, heat gently without boiling.
07 - Plate dumplings hot, topped generously with the bacon sour cream sauce.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • It's a whole meal in one dumpling—creamy potato exterior, savory meat filling, and that salty bacon sauce that makes you want to eat more than you probably should.
  • Once you nail the technique, you'll find yourself making these for friends and watching their faces light up when they understand what you've created.
  • The process is meditative and forgiving; mistakes often taste better than perfection.
02 -
  • The moment you start grating potatoes, they begin to oxidize and lose their starch; don't grate everything at once—work in batches or squeeze immediately after grating to keep the dough stable.
  • That potato starch that settles at the bottom of the liquid you squeezed out is not optional if your potatoes are particularly watery; it's the difference between dumplings that hold together and ones that fall apart in the pot.
  • The simmering water should barely move; a rolling boil will batter and tear open your dumplings before they've even finished cooking.
03 -
  • Keep your hands wet but not dripping when shaping each dumpling—it prevents sticking without waterlogging the dough.
  • Test one dumpling first by dropping it in the water and watching to see if it holds together; if it starts to fall apart, your dough needs more starch before you commit to shaping all of them.
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