Kartacze is a typical regional dish that is popular in the Suwałki and of course Podlasie regions. They resemble commonly known dumplings, however, the recipe and the shape of kartacze are slightly different. First of all, grated raw and boiled potatoes are used to make them. The filling is minced meat and the whole dish is covered with pork scratching. In Lithuania, they are known as cepeliny.
Ingredients:
– approx. 2.5 kg potatoes
– 3 onions
– 1 clove of garlic
– 800 g minced meat (70% pork and 30% beef)
– 1 egg
– salt, pepper
– 250 g smoked bacon
Preparation:
1. Dice and fry 1 onion and garlic, then mix with meat and egg.
2. Grate 1.5 kg of potatoes and strain the liquid and set it aside for some time.
3. Boil the rest of the potatoes in their skins and then grind them in a mincer.
4. When the liquid from the raw potatoes has settled down, pour it off carefully and collect the white starch on the bottom and mix with the raw ones and boiled potatoes.
5. Mix it all up. If the dough is too thin, add some potato flour.
6. Form the dough in a strudel-like form. Cut off pieces into which you place the minced meat. Form kartacze.
7. Drop kartacze carefully into boiling water and cook for about 50 minutes.
8. At the same time, fry the rest of the onion and the diced bacon.
9. Pour the warm, steaming kartacze with it.