Make-ahead potato dumplings: Freeze for easy meals
Although potato dumplings are a simple and inexpensive dish, their preparation requires some time and effort. Cooking and cooling the potatoes, making the dough, and cooking the dumplings in batches—these steps can easily consume an hour or two in the kitchen. Therefore, whenever I have a bit more time, I make a batch in advance and later just pull them out of the freezer for a ready meal.
You can freeze both raw and cooked dumplings if you do it properly. Contrary to popular belief, freezing raw dumplings is easier because fully cooked ones can become hard when thawed and recooked or fried.
How to freeze raw potato dumplings?
Unfortunately, you cannot simply place them in a container and put them in the freezer because they will stick together. Prepared dumplings should be arranged on a flour-dusted tray. First, check if the tray fits in your freezer. When arranging the dumplings, make sure to leave space between them. After 2 hours, transfer the dumplings from the tray into a sealed container or a ziplock bag. Label the packaging with the current date and consume within a maximum of 3 months.
To defrost these raw dumplings, just toss them into salted boiling water and cook for 3-4 minutes from the moment they float to the surface. Drop them in batches to prevent sticking, and use a slotted spoon to remove them.
How to freeze cooked potato dumplings?
If you want to freeze already cooked dumplings, make sure they are not too soft. It's best to throw them into boiling water and take them out immediately after they float to the surface. After removing them, place them for just a few seconds into a bowl of icy water—this way they'll become firm and resistant to damage. Next, arrange them on a tray and leave them to cool completely. Once cooled, coat them in oil and place the tray in the freezer. Once frozen, transfer them to sealed containers.
You no longer need to cook these dumplings. Leave them in the fridge to defrost, and then toss them into a pan with a small amount of heated fat. You can also put them in the oven to bake, perhaps with parmesan or mozzarella. In this form, they will be excellent with chicken in a creamy thyme sauce or a simple salad with roasted beets and goat cheese.
