Potatoes, fluffy homemade dumplings, sauerkraut, and fragrant smoked pork belly come together in this hearty old Czech dish that fills you up without expensive ingredients. Finally, hot onions sautéed in lard bring everything together into a pleasantly moist and flavorful meal.
Potatoes and dumplings are cooked together in one pot, making the preparation surprisingly easy. Meanwhile, the sauerkraut is stewed with pork belly or streaky bacon, and onions are fried separately until golden brown or even darker. Just follow the right order and you can serve uhlířina immediately after mixing.
What You’ll Need
For the potatoes, sauerkraut, and topping:
- 500 g potatoes, ideally type B or C for boiling,
- 400 g sauerkraut, well squeezed to remove excess juice,
- 120 g smoked pork belly or streaky bacon,
- 1 large onion,
- 1–2 tablespoons pork lard,
- salt to taste,
- whole caraway seeds to taste.
For quick homemade dumplings:
- 1 cup semi-coarse flour,
- 2 whole eggs,
- 1–2 tablespoons milk as needed,
- a small pinch of baking powder (just the tip of a knife),
- a pinch of salt.
Step-by-Step Preparation:
1. Preparing the potatoes: Peel the potatoes and cut them into evenly sized cubes to ensure even cooking. Place them in a pot, cover with water, add salt, and a teaspoon of whole caraway seeds.
2. Cooking the potatoes: Bring the water to a boil and cook the potatoes until half-soft, about 10 minutes. They shouldn’t be fully cooked yet, as they will cook a few more minutes together with the homemade dumplings.
3. Preparing the dumpling dough: In a bowl, mix a cup of semi-coarse flour with a pinch of salt and a small pinch of baking powder (just the tip of a knife). Add 2 eggs and 1 tablespoon of milk, then work into a stiff and sticky dough.
4. Letting the dough rest: Let the prepared dough rest for 5 minutes. If it’s too stiff, add a little more milk as needed, but no more than the total 1–2 tablespoons stated in the recipe.
5. Stewing the sauerkraut with pork belly: Cut the smoked pork belly or streaky bacon into cubes and render in a dry pan. Add the well-squeezed sauerkraut, cover the pan with a lid, and stew the mixture until soft, about 10 minutes.
6. Preparing the onion base: Finely chop the onion. In a small pan, heat 1–2 tablespoons of pork lard and patiently fry the onion until golden brown or even darker. Stir regularly to ensure even browning.
7. Cooking the homemade dumplings: Once the potatoes are half-soft, start adding small dumplings. Dip a teaspoon in hot water, scoop a small amount of dough, and drop it directly into the pot with the potatoes.
8. Finishing the cooking: Boil the potatoes and dumplings together for another 4–5 minutes. The dumplings are done when they float to the surface. Then carefully drain the contents of the pot through a colander and let them drain well.
9. Combining the uhlířina: Transfer the drained potatoes and dumplings to a large enough bowl. Add the stewed sauerkraut with smoked pork belly and pour over the hot fried onions along with the rendered lard.
10. Finishing and serving: Gently mix the uhlířina using two wooden spoons so the potatoes don’t fall apart, but all the components combine well. Serve the dish warm, while the onions are fragrant and the dumplings pleasantly moist.
How to Recognize the Right Dough Consistency for Dumplings
The dough should be stiff and sticky so it can be scooped with a teaspoon directly into hot water. If it’s too runny, the dumplings won’t hold their shape. That’s why you add milk gradually and only as needed.
Dip the spoon in hot water before each scoop. The dough won’t stick as much, and the small dumplings will separate more easily right above the pot.
Why Cook the Potatoes Only Halfway at First
After the first 10 minutes or so, the potatoes are cooked for another 4–5 minutes together with the dumplings. If you cooked them completely soft before adding the dough, they could fall apart too much when draining and mixing at the end.
Final Tip
You don’t have to pour away the water drained from the potatoes and dumplings. According to the original recipe, you can save it and use it as a base for a quick garlic soup. Mix the uhlířina gently with two wooden spoons so both the potatoes and dumplings keep their shape.
