Name: Kluski nadziewane z kapustą zasmażaną
Prep time: 35 min
Cook time: 65 min
Total time: 130 min
Yield: 6 portions, about 18 dumplings
Cuisine: Polish
Ingredients: 1 kg floury potatoes, peeled and weighed before cooking; Water for boiling the potatoes, enough to cover; 100 g plain wheat flour, plus a little for shaping; 250 g potato starch, with up to 30 g extra only if needed; 1 l arge egg, about 50 g; 5 g fine salt; 300 g ground pork, about 15% fat; 100 g yellow onion, finely diced; 1 g arlic clove, about 4 g, minced; 15 ml rapeseed oil; 25 g fine dry breadcrumbs; 10 g fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped; 1 g dried marjoram; 3 g fine salt, then adjust to taste; 1 g black pepper; 700 g sauerkraut, drained; rinse briefly only if overly salty or sharp; 120 g smoked bacon, diced; 100 g yellow onion, diced; 10 g plain wheat flour; 300 ml water for simmering the sauerkraut, plus a little more if needed; 1 bay leaf; 3 l ightly crushed allspice berries; 10 g honey, to round the acidity; Fine salt and black pepper, to taste after cooking; 5 l water; 20 g fine salt

A wide view of „Kluski nadziewane z kapustą zasmażaną“ arranged on a table for serving.

Yield 6 portions, about 18 dumplings

Serving 3 dumplings with about 150 g sauerkraut per person

Preparation about 35 minutes

Cooking about 65 minutes

Ingredients ↓

At a glance

Kluski nadziewane z kapustą zasmażaną

These Łódzkie stuffed potato dumplings are shaped into small, elongated spindles and filled with seasoned pork. They are served with thick sauerkraut cooked and fried with smoked bacon and onion. The potato dough is soft but firm enough to seal around the filling, and the dumplings are boiled in batches until tender.

The registered dish is associated with Wągry in the Łódzkie region, where it is traditionally linked with the colder months. Its defining combination is cooked potato dough with wheat and potato flour, a pork filling, and sauerkraut with visible pieces of pork and onion. This six-serving home version keeps those elements and gives them practical quantities and clear cues for shaping, boiling and serving.

The long, spindle-like shape helps distinguish these kluski from round stuffed dumplings. Press the boiled potatoes until smooth and let them cool until warm before adding the flours and egg. Cook and cool the pork filling before shaping, and keep the sauerkraut on a gentle simmer until it is thick rather than watery. These small details make the dumplings easier to seal and less likely to split in the pot.

Tips for dumplings that hold their shape

Drain the potatoes well, then return them briefly to the warm pot so excess steam can escape.
Rice or mash the potatoes while warm; cool them before adding flour and egg.
Mix the dough only until cohesive. Long kneading can make potato dough sticky and heavy.
Cook the pork filling fully and let it cool before adding breadcrumbs and shaping.
Keep a small border of dough around each filling portion and seal it without trapping gaps.
Shape each piece into an even spindle so it cooks at the same rate from end to end.
Simmer the sauerkraut until it is tender and thick; drain excess liquid before frying it with bacon.
Cook dumplings in uncrowded batches at a gentle boil so they do not bump into one another and split.

Ingredients

Potato dough

1 kg floury potatoes, peeled and weighed before cooking
Water for boiling the potatoes, enough to cover
100 g plain wheat flour, plus a little for shaping
250 g potato starch, with up to 30 g extra only if needed
1 l arge egg, about 50 g
5 g fine salt

Pork filling

300 g ground pork, about 15% fat
100 g yellow onion, finely diced
1 g arlic clove, about 4 g, minced
15 ml rapeseed oil
25 g fine dry breadcrumbs
10 g fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
1 g dried marjoram
3 g fine salt, then adjust to taste
1 g black pepper

Fried sauerkraut

700 g sauerkraut, drained; rinse briefly only if overly salty or sharp
120 g smoked bacon, diced
100 g yellow onion, diced
10 g plain wheat flour
300 ml water for simmering the sauerkraut, plus a little more if needed
1 bay leaf
3 l ightly crushed allspice berries
10 g honey, to round the acidity
Fine salt and black pepper, to taste after cooking

For boiling

5 l water
20 g fine salt

Method

Directions

Boil and dry the potatoesPeel the potatoes and cut them into even 3–4 cm chunks. Cover with cold water, bring to a boil and simmer for 15–20 minutes, until a knife slides through easily. Drain thoroughly. Return the potatoes to the warm pot over low heat for 1–2 minutes so surface moisture steams away. Rice or mash until smooth, then spread in a shallow layer and cool until warm rather than hot.
Cook and cool the pork fillingHeat the rapeseed oil in a frying pan. Add the diced onion and cook for about 5 minutes, until soft. Add the ground pork, breaking it into small pieces as it cooks. Use a food thermometer to confirm that it reaches at least 71.1 °C / 160 °F. Stir in the garlic, marjoram, salt and pepper and cook for 1 minute. Spread the meat on a shallow tray and let it cool. When it is cool enough to handle, mix in the parsley and breadcrumbs. Spread the filling in a shallow layer to cool. If it is not being used promptly, refrigerate it within 2 hours and keep it at 4 °C or colder.
Simmer and fry the sauerkrautTaste the sauerkraut and rinse it briefly only if it is excessively salty or sharp. Put it in a saucepan with 300 ml water, the bay leaf and allspice. Simmer for 25–30 minutes, until tender. Drain, reserving about 60 ml of the cooking liquid. In a frying pan, cook the bacon until some fat renders; add the second onion and cook until soft. Stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute. Add the sauerkraut and honey, then enough reserved liquid to make a thick, cohesive side. Simmer for 8–10 minutes, season to taste and keep hot.
Make the potato doughCombine the warm pressed potatoes with the wheat flour, potato starch, egg and 5 g salt. Mix just until a soft, cohesive dough forms; avoid prolonged kneading. If a small test dumpling breaks apart in simmering water, work a little of the reserved extra starch into the dough and test again.
Fill and shape the dumplingsDivide the dough into 18 portions. With lightly floured hands, flatten one portion, place about 20 g cooked pork filling in the middle, then close the dough completely around it. Roll gently into an even spindle about 10 cm long and 3–4 cm wide. Keep the shaped dumplings covered so the surface does not dry.
Boil in batchesBring 5 l water and 20 g salt to a gentle boil in a large pot. Add the dumplings in uncrowded batches and stir gently once so they do not stick. When they float, simmer for about 3–4 minutes more, until the potato dough is tender and set and the center is hot. Lift them out with a slotted spoon and drain. Serve hot with the thick fried sauerkraut.

Nutrition per serving

Serving3 dumplings with about 150 g sauerkraut
Caloriesabout 630 kcal
Carbohydratesabout 90 g
Proteinabout 24 g
Fatabout 22 g
Fibreabout 8 g
Sodiumabout 1,700 mg

These rounded estimates cover the dumplings and their share of the sauerkraut. Sodium can vary considerably with the sauerkraut brine, bacon and salt absorbed during boiling. Potato moisture, pork fat, any extra starch and the amount of filling or fat left in the pan also change the result. The estimate does not include extra oil or sauce at serving.

Allergens and food safety

Serving, storage and make-ahead: Serve three dumplings with about 150 g sauerkraut per portion. The dish is filling on its own; extra sauce is not needed. If preparing ahead, keep the cooked pork filling covered and chilled if it will wait more than two hours before shaping. Cool leftover dumplings and cabbage promptly in shallow containers and refrigerate within 2 hours at 4 °C or colder. Use within 3–4 days or freeze promptly. Thaw frozen portions in the refrigerator and reheat leftovers to 74 °C / 165 °F.

The recipe contains wheat (gluten) and egg. Cook the ground pork to at least 71.1 °C / 160 °F before it is cooled and used as filling. Keep raw-pork tools and juices away from cooked potatoes and ready-to-eat foods, then wash hands and clean equipment and surfaces. Wheat flour and egg are raw until the dumplings are cooked, so do not taste the uncooked dough. Boil the dumplings until the potato dough is tender and set. Cool leftovers in shallow containers and refrigerate within 2 hours at 4 °C or colder; use within 3–4 days or freeze promptly. Reheat leftovers to 74 °C / 165 °F.

To finish

Tender potato dough, seasoned pork and tangy fried sauerkraut make a hearty Łódzkie plate.
Keep the filling cool and the seams firmly closed so the spindle-shaped dumplings hold together as they boil.