The Białowieża Forest region

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🍴 Traditional Kartacze (Cepelinai) Recipe

Recipe author: Janina Nowak – a lifelong Podlasie home cook and lover of regional cuisine.

🧾 Ingredients

Dough:
🔹 1 kg raw potatoes
🔹 500 g boiled potatoes
🔹 1 egg
🔹 1 tbsp potato starch (or fine potato flour)
🔹 Salt

Filling:
🔹 500 g ground pork (shoulder or neck preferred)
🔹 1 large onion
🔹 2 cloves garlic
🔹 Salt and black pepper, to taste
🔹 1 tsp marjoram

👩‍🍳 Step-by-step Preparation

1) Dough:
🔹 Peel and finely grate the raw potatoes; squeeze out excess liquid.
🔹 Add mashed boiled potatoes, the egg, potato starch, and salt.
🔹 Mix and knead until the dough is smooth and elastic.

2) Filling:
🔹 Finely chop onion and garlic; sauté until golden.
🔹 Combine with ground pork; season with salt, pepper, and marjoram. Mix well.

3) Shaping:
🔹 Form balls of dough (about the size of a large potato).
🔹 Flatten, place filling in the center, and seal carefully into an oval dumpling.

4) Cooking:
🔹 Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
🔹 Gently drop in the dumplings; simmer 30–35 minutes over medium heat (until they float and for a few minutes longer).

5) Serving:
🔹 Serve hot with bacon-and-onion topping, or with butter or sour cream.
🔹 Excellent also with sautéed cabbage.

📌 Summary

Kartacze are a culinary emblem of Podlasie—hearty, flavorful, and made with care. They bring generations together and keep traditions alive; the effort pays off in every bite.