Lithuanian Zeppelins: recipe

Lithuanian Lapel - a national dish, as can be easily guessed, Lithuania. They are also sometimes called dumplings or potato dumplings. The dish is very nutritious, so it is very popular in the cold season. When frost outside the snowstorm blows, it's so nice to have hot zepelins dipping them in sour cream ... To try them, it's not necessary to go to the Baltic States, they can also be found in the local restaurants in the menu. And you can even please your loved ones and cook at home zepeliny. The recipe we offer you is made up of several different ways of preparing them and is one of the most optimal.

So, you need to take the following products:

• A few large potatoes, peeled and rubbed on a small grater;
• A few large potatoes, peeled, boiled and mashed in puree;
• One large peeled onion, rubbed on a grater or crushed with a blender;
• Half a teaspoon of salt.

For the filling we take:

• A pound of pork;
• One onion;
• salt and pepper;
• egg.

For sauce we use:

• Bacon, diced;
• A chopped onion;
• A tablespoon of starch;
• ground black pepper.

Preparing zepelins usually takes a long time, so be prepared for this process. So, we proceed: from pork we make minced meat with the help of a meat grinder or a powerful blender, add spices, onions, drive an egg, mix it and place it in a refrigerator for a while. In raw sliced potatoes add a few drops of lemon juice, so that the Lithuanian zeppelins do not darken during cooking. Then put the grated potatoes in gauze and carefully squeeze the juice into a bowl. You can make a "pear" and in the end, take it off the table or cutting board. It is better to impose potatoes in gauze in parts, so it will be more effective. Potato juice is drained, at the bottom of the bowl there will be starch, which must be added to the dough. Squeeze the potatoes with the resulting starch, boiled and wiped potatoes, grated onion and salt, mix well.

Now is the time to put a large pot of water on the fire, and Lithuanian zeppelins will be cooked in it. Now roll out the potato dough on the table, the layer should be half a centimeter thick, with the help of a cup cut the circles that are then leveled in the palm of your hand. In each such circle we put a little stuffing and with the help of a hand moistened in water we patch the edges, forming a zeppelin, as it is densified and smooth irregularities.

Finished zepeliny carefully lowered into boiling salted water, there we add a spoonful of starch to protect the dumplings from decay, and cook for about 45 minutes. In the process of cooking, the zeppelins need to be turned a couple of times gently, so that they are cooked thoroughly. After the time has elapsed, carefully drain the water, put the finished products on a plate. In the meantime, the zeppelins are prepared, you can do the sauce: fry the diced bacon with onions, add sour cream and black pepper, cook a little. With it, Lithuanian zepelins will be exactly what they should be: beautiful externally, juicy and very tasty.