Cepelinai

Name: Cepelinai
Prep time: 30 min
Total time: 1 h
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 1.5 kg raw waxy potatoes (Yukon Gold or similar), peeled and weighed; 500 g floury potatoes (Russet or King Edward), peeled and weighed; 1 tbsp lemon juice or 1 tsp citric acid (to prevent the raw grated potato from greying); 1 tsp fine sea salt for the dough; 2 tbsp cornflour (cornstarch) — only if the raw potato is very wet; 500 g coarsely minced pork shoulder (or 50% pork + 50% beef); 1 medium onion (about 150 g), very finely diced; 1 tsp fine sea salt for the filling; 0.5 tsp freshly ground black pepper; 1 tsp dried marjoram or dried savory; 60 ml cold water for the filling; 200 g smoked streaky bacon, cubed; 1 large onion (about 200 g), finely sliced; 200 g full-fat sour cream; Dill or parsley, finely chopped, to garnish; 1 tbsp coarse sea salt for the cooking water

Cepelinai — named after Count Zeppelin's airship for their oval shape — are Lithuania's national dish. The dough combines raw grated potatoes with mashed boiled potatoes to form a dense, elastic mass around a filling of minced pork and onion. The large dumplings are boiled until the surface turns translucent — the sign they are ready. They are served with a triple sauce: sour cream, fried bacon, and sautéed onion. Lithuanians eat them at celebrations and family reunions, and they are the most emblematic dish of the national cuisine. Their preparation is laborious and usually done communally.

Total time1h

Active time30m

Servings4

DifficultyEasy

Cost$$

Add to my meal plan

❤️

Rich in protein

Filling and nutritious

⭐

Traditional recipe

Authentic taste

Ingredients 4 servings

1.5 kg raw waxy potatoes (Yukon Gold or similar), peeled and weighed
500 g floury potatoes (Russet or King Edward), peeled and weighed
1 tbsp lemon juice or 1 tsp citric acid (to prevent the raw grated potato from greying)
1 tsp fine sea salt for the dough
2 tbsp cornflour (cornstarch) — only if the raw potato is very wet
500 g coarsely minced pork shoulder (or 50% pork + 50% beef)
1 medium onion (about 150 g), very finely diced
1 tsp fine sea salt for the filling
0.5 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp dried marjoram or dried savory
60 ml cold water for the filling
200 g smoked streaky bacon, cubed
1 large onion (about 200 g), finely sliced
200 g full-fat sour cream
Dill or parsley, finely chopped, to garnish
1 tbsp coarse sea salt for the cooking water

How to make it

1Make the filling first so the flavours marry; mix the minced pork, finely diced onion, 1 tsp salt, pepper, marjoram, and 60 ml cold water in a bowl with your hand for 1–2 minutes, until the mixture is sticky and well bound; cover and chill while you prepare the potato dough.
2Boil the 500 g floury potatoes whole and unpeeled in salted water for 25–30 minutes, until very tender; drain, peel while hot, and pass through a ricer or mash smoothly; spread out on a tray to cool to room temperature — hot mash would cook the raw potato in the next step.
3Grate the 1.5 kg waxy potatoes on the fine side of a box grater into a large bowl lined with a clean kitchen towel; gather the towel and squeeze hard over a second bowl to extract as much liquid as possible; you should end up with about 250 ml of liquid; leave it to settle for 5 minutes.
4Carefully pour off the clear water from the bowl of squeezed liquid, leaving the white starch settled at the bottom; scrape this starch back into the squeezed grated potato — it is the natural binder that holds the dumplings together; add the cooled mashed potato, the lemon juice, and 1 tsp salt; mix vigorously by hand for 2–3 minutes, until you have a sticky, elastic dough; add the cornflour only if the dough still feels wet.
5With wet hands, divide the dough into 8 equal pieces (about 220 g each); flatten one piece on a wet palm into a 12 × 8 cm oval, place about 60 g of the chilled filling in the centre, then wrap the dough up and around the filling, pinching to seal completely; smooth into a 12 cm zeppelin shape, with no cracks where steam or water could enter.
6Bring a wide deep pan with 4 litres of water and 1 tbsp coarse salt to a gentle simmer (not a rolling boil — vigorous water can break the dumplings); lower the cepelinai in 2 batches, stir gently once to keep them off the base, and cook for 25–30 minutes at the gentlest simmer, until the surface goes from matte to translucent and the dumplings float high.
7While they cook, make the sauce; cook the cubed bacon in a dry frying pan over medium heat for 6–8 minutes until the fat renders and the cubes are crisp; add the sliced onion and cook for another 5–6 minutes until soft and lightly golden; stir off the heat and keep warm.
8Lift the cooked cepelinai out with a slotted spoon onto warmed plates — 2 per person; scatter generously with the bacon-onion mixture and its fat, top with a heap of cold sour cream, and finish with chopped dill; serve immediately while everything is hot and the centres are juicy.