Raw Potato Dumplings / Rohe Kartoffelklöße

When I was a kid, hardly anything was made using a packet of instant food; in fact, potato dumplings may have been the only dish at all where this actually happened, and I now understand why: 1., it's quite a lot of work, 2., they didn't even turn out well.

First of all: They're not actually raw; they are so-called raw potato dumplings because the dough from which the dumplings are being made consists of mainly raw potatoes, generally 2/3 raw grated potatoes, 1/3 cooked mashed potatoes. These are then also called Thüringer or Green potato dumplings (don't ask me about green, I don't know).

The (German) Wikipedia article on dumplings references quite a number of critical issues regarding the preparation. For example, the dumplings might not have been dry enough (partly because I was told to mash the cooked potatoes with cooking water - ridiculous idea given that I spent the 15 minutes before trying to drain every single drop from the raw ones). This might have lead to cracks in the dumplings that allowed water to enter. Quite likely that this happened, as part of the dumplings ended up being 'washed away'. Also, my recipe didn't include bread cubes in the centre - apparently, these are not just for taste (or Kinder-egg-effect, as I always thought :) ), but make sure that the thickness of the dumpling is cooked is reduced by more than half, therefore also reducing the cooking time needed.

I found the suggestion to add a few drops of vinegar to prevent the potatoes from turning brown very useful, though it only delayed the process.

We served them with Beef Rouladen and Red Cabbage with Apples and Red Wine, a very classic combination.