Potetball/komle (or Norwegian potato dumpling) recipe

An instrctional video from YouTube below.

More videos here in this YouTube search.

The best types of potatoes to use in Norway are these: Laila, Folva, Beate, and Asterix. They are the types of potatoes that are best suited for potetball. They are fairly firm when cooked and therefore contain little moisture. Outside of Norway, use potatoes that are good to boil and stay firm and in shape, and do not pulverize into soup.

Buttermilk is often served to drink with the meal.

The recipe below is for 4 portions.

Also, cut some bacon off a 250-gram piece to add in the center of the potato ball as a taste enhancer, maybe?

How to make the dish:

• First, in any version of this recipe, find a large pan, at least 6-8 litres in size.
• Version 1 (linked to version 1 column above):
  • Remove the rind from the piece of bacon and cut the meat into chunks. Place the rind in a large pot filled halfway with water, and bring the water to a boil. You can always add more water if needed.
  • Peel the raw potatoes and grind them using a meat grinder or the blade attachment in a food processor. If you want, you can let the raw potatoes sit in a cloth placed in a sieve to drain a little; the liquid that drains off means you will need less flour in the dumpling mixture. Mash the cooked potatoes and mix them with the ground raw potatoes. Add the flour and oats along with the salt and pepper. The dough should be fairly soft, but not so soft that you cannot handle it.
  • It’s smart to boil a test dumpling to see if it holds together well enough. If not, it will fall apart in the water. The trick is to get a dumpling that is not too soft—because then it will fall apart in the cooking water—but also not too firm, or you could play table tennis with it. You simply have to experiment a bit. Practice makes perfect. But use this recipe as a starting point. Don’t make the dumplings too large; small dumplings reduce the cooking time. Try a tennis ball size.
  • Wet your hands and use a large spoon or ladle. Shape the dumplings into suitable-sized balls, and if you want bacon or pork inside, make a small hollow in the center where you place the piece of meat. You can also use a piece of cured sausage (morrpølse) if you have it. Shape the dumpling round and place it on the spoon. Let it slide gently into the pot. The water should be just below boiling, but not bubbling. Work slowly and systematically, and gently push aside the dumplings you have already added to make room for the new ones.
  • Fried bacon, meat sausages, or steamed smoked meat go well with them. And remember plenty of melted butter.
• Version 2 (linked to version 2 column above):
  • Bring a large pot of lightly salted water, stock, or broth to a boil.
  • Peel the potatoes and grate them using a grater or a food processor. Squeeze out some of the moisture.
  • Grate or mash the cooked potatoes. Mix the cooked and raw potatoes together with flour and salt.
  • Cook a test dumpling to see if the dough is firm enough. Shape the raspeballer with a spoon and gently place them into the water/stock just below the boiling point. Dip the spoon in cold water between each dumpling, and try to make them as smooth as possible.
  • Let the raspeballer simmer for 30–40 minutes, depending on its size. Cut one open to check if it’s done. It should have an even texture and color all the way through.
• Version 3 (linked to version 3 column above):
  • Peel the potatoes and the onion. Grind them in a food grinder. Add salt and flour, and let the machine run until the dough is ready. The dough should be firm enough to hold its shape on a spoon. Shape the dumplings, placing a slice of smoked meat (mør) inside each one.
  • Let the dumplings boil/simmer for forty-five minutes to one hour, depending on their size. A good potato should be soft and easy to cut into. To achieve this, it’s a good idea to keep the lid on during cooking—the steam will fall back into the pot, giving the dumplings a softer consistency. You can boil rutabaga together with the potato if you like.
  • Boiled meat or smoked sausage is served on a platter alongside the dumplings. Fry bacon pieces and serve them on the side, together with the bacon fat. Buttermilk is served to drink with the meal.
• Version 4 (linked to version 4 column above):
  • Peel the cooked potatoes and mash them with a potato masher or grate them. Place the potatoes in a large bowl.
  • Peel the raw potatoes and finely grate them on a grater. If you have a grinder, I recommend using it, since there are quite a lot of potatoes to grate. It also helps you avoid scraping your fingers. Put the grated potatoes in a colander.
  • Squeeze some of the water out of the grated (raw) potatoes. Then add the grated potatoes to the cooked potatoes. Add barley flour, wheat flour, baking powder, salt, and eggs.
  • Quickly mix everything together using your hands or a wooden spoon. The consistency should be somewhere between a sticky dough and a porridge. It should be possible to form balls using a moistened spoon and your palm.
  • Bring lightly salted water to a boil. Dip a spoon and one of your hands into cold water. Take a little of the dough/batter with the spoon and form it into a ball using your moistened palm. Lower it into the boiling water. The ball will sink to the bottom at first, but will eventually float to the surface. Once it floats, it needs about 8–10 more minutes to cook through (depending on size).
  • It’s a good idea to make a “test dumpling” before shaping all of them. If the dough is too loose, it won’t hold its shape in the boiling water, and you should mix in more flour. Cut the dumpling open to check if it’s done. It should have an even texture and color throughout.
  • Fry the bacon in a little butter in a hot pan while the dumplings cook in the pot.
  • Serve klubb/raspeball with bacon, bacon fat, and sugar.

• Or if you are close to these chain stores, buy it ready-made to heat up.
  • Meny.no – Ready-made potato balls