Cottage Cheese and Potato Dumplings with Cracklings

Prepare all the ingredients for the cottage cheese and potato dumplings with cracklings. In such dishes, the amount of flour depends directly on the moisture of the cottage cheese, the dryness of the potatoes, and the size of the egg. I have a 60-gram egg. The cottage cheese is dry enough, 9%, the most ordinary one from the store. I used 90 grams of flour for the dough, and the remaining 30 grams - for dusting the table when rolling out. Instead of green onions, you can use a little chopped fresh dill.

Boil and peel the potatoes. Cut the onion and bacon into small cubes. You can use lightly salted, smoked, or raw bacon. I have the last option, so when frying it, it should be slightly salted and peppered.

First, start frying the cracklings. After they release fat and slightly brown, add the chopped onion cubes and fry until golden. I use medium heat, sometimes stirring, this frying does not require special attention, so you can make the dough simultaneously.

Pass the potatoes through a meat grinder and combine it in a bowl with cottage cheese, flour, egg, salt, and pepper. You don't have to add all the flour at once, but look at the consistency of the dough. It should only stick a little to your hands. Do not knead the dough for too long! If you don't want to dirty the meat grinder, you can grate the potatoes on a fine grater.

Knead the dough. The longer you knead, the more moist the dough becomes, and you automatically try to stuff it with flour. As a result, you get firm, dense dumplings, which is undesirable.

Sprinkle the table with flour and roll out the dough into sausages in three batches. Cut them into pieces about one and a half centimeters wide. These are classic lazy dumplings. You can leave them like this or slightly round them and make a hollow with a dusted finger. It holds the sauce perfectly, and the cracklings get inside, so it's not just for beauty, but for taste as well.

Put a pot of water on the stove, bring it to a boil, and add salt. Add the dumplings and boil them for just a minute or two after they float to the surface. Do not add too many dumplings at once, or use a larger pot. The dumplings increase in size during cooking. For reliability, I always try to cook one dumpling first and check its density. If it floats slightly in the pot, there is a trick – you need to add a little diluted potato starch to the water. I add about a tablespoon for 2 liters of water. And yes, dumplings like salt, so the water should be properly salted, otherwise they will be quite bland.

Using a slotted spoon, transfer a portion of dumplings to a plate, sprinkle with fried cracklings and chopped green onions. The latter is optional, just for brightness and attractiveness. You can also add some pepper on top if desired. Sour cream is also suitable here, so add it if you like. Potato and cottage cheese dumplings with cracklings are ready. Enjoy your meal!