Being of ashkenazi descent, I grew up eating many traditional Hungarian dishes like kraut-pletzlach (noodles and cabbage), holopches (stuffed cabbage), as well as shlishkes (potato dumplings rolled in toasted breadcrumbs). My mother would make shlishkes on occasion, but I hadn’t eaten it in many years. We were reminiscing about it the other day, so I decided to give it a try. The idea of making a pasta-like dough seemed intimidating, but it was actually quite easy. Rolled in toasted breadcrumbs, these soft potato dumplings are sure to please any palate, ashkenazi and sephardi alike! You can also use this recipe to make gnocchi, and mix it with your sauce of choice (marinara or pesto are good options).
When I looked up my family recipe for shlishkes (which I’ve lightly adapted), I found something interesting. After the instructions for preparing the dough, it said, “take challah.” I would never have imagined that I would need to set aside gnocchi dough for hafrashas challah! After doing some research, it seems as though one would not need to “take challah” for dough that uses only 1 1/2 cups of flour (the original recipe used more). If you’re interested, you can read more about it here.
Shlishkes
4 medium russet potatoes
1 egg
1-2 tsp salt
1 1/2 c flour
6 tbsp butter or 1/3 cup olive oil
1 cup plain bread crumbs
Method:
Scrub potatoes to remove dirt and boil until fork tender. Once the potatoes are cool to the touch, peel them. Mash the potatoes very well*, or if you have one, push them through a potato ricer or fine mesh sieve. While the potatoes are still warm, place them into a mixing bowl and add egg, salt and flour. Mix the ingredients and knead with your hands until a soft dough is formed. Add additional flour if necessary. On a floured surface, and with floured hands, roll out a handful of dough into a long strip. Cut the strip into 3/4″ pieces. If desired, roll the dough over (or under) a fork to create ridges. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Working in batches, drop pieces into the water and let them simmer until they float to the top. Remove with a slotted spoon. In a separate pan, melt margarine or heat up oil. Add bread crumbs and stir until browned and toasted. Add gnocchi and toss until coated.
* If you don’t mash the potatoes really well, you’ll be left with large lumps of potatoes in your dough.
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Nice! I’ve made gnocchi, but I’ve never had shlishkes before. I am always curious when I see them at take-out places!
So excited to see your Shliskas recipe – can’t wait to try it. They are my absolute favorite food in the world!
beautiful! gnocchi is one of my favorite dishes! do you have a weight measurement for the potatoes?
sorry Jessica, I don’t! if you use Idaho russet potatoes, they are all roughly the same size.
my last attempt at gnocchi was a disaster. you make it look so easy! was your kitchen upside down?
Believe me when I tell you that I usually shy away from making homemade dough of any kind. This was really easy, and although my kitchen was a little messy afterwards, it was far from upside down!
My father is obsessed with shlishkes! I’m going to make this next time he comes to visit.
Wow! I should come by and taste these!
ive never made gnocchi, and im so sephardi, ive never heard of shlishkes…but it looks delicious, and you do make it look easy! :)
I haven’t had this in so long! I’m so excited to try making it myself! I also love your pictures – it’s so helpful to actually see the step-by-step process! Thank you for going through the work of posting them for us!!
Question: what is the benefit of boiling the potatoes with the peel on as opposed to peeling first and then boiling (which is easier)?
If you boil the potatoes without the skin, they will retain more moisture and be too soggy for making gnocchi.
Totally up my alley!!! Thanks!!!!
I have had these at a take out place but they were not good, now that I see your recipe though I see that they could be wonderful, will have to try this one day, I wonder about a sweet potato version.
Good suggestion!
OK…starving! DH and I love these on Shabbos with a bit of roast chicken or London broil. Thank you!
Looks delicious!
Whoa! Gnocchi on steroids!
Can not believe you posted this!!! I have been wanting a recipe bc my Gma always made it BUT she used Schmaltz AND filled them with Jam for dessert — I can do w/o the schmaltz though, that’s for sure
Was so excited to find this recipe, my husband still talks about his grandma’s shlishkas and we made it yesterday. It was delicious, thanks for posting.
Thanks Rachel, I’m so happy to hear!
Thank you for sharing this recipe, this dish caught my eye I have included it in my June Recipe Roundup at This American Bite.
thanks for sharing!
My bubbe used to make shlishkes basically the same way, but after coating them with toasted bread crumbs she tossed them with sauted/lightly browned onions. Yummy!
mmmm…love that idea!
Your shlishkas look very nice, I have a quick tip that works very well for us (my son does it for me on occasion). I put the shlishka batter (or dough) into a disposable pastry bag and squeeze them directly into the pot (no rolling necessary) hold a knife and cut them to the desired size while dropping into the boiling water. They usually turn out uniform in size and really nice looking.
Keep your recipes coming!
Great tip, thanks!
I have been making these for years, but I use 3 potatoes, 1 egg and 2-1/2 cups of flour. 3 cups of challah crumbs and 3/4 of a stick of margarine. I make them once a year because they are do labor intensive and I work full time. We have them every Thanksgiving. I make a double recipe because the family is growing. My grandmother, my mother, and my mother-in-law made these and they all tasted the same!
It sounds delicious Roberta. I love the idea of making it for Thanksgiving!
just made these and they came out amazing…
Thanks Bracha, I’m so glad you liked them!
My family is from the Italian/Croatian border and my mother used to make gnocchi. The first day we would have them with tomato sauce and my sister and I would make sure that we there would be leftovers. The next day my mother would reheat them in butter and breadcrumbs as you have written here however we would then sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon!
I love the addition of cinnamon and sugar!
My Ashkenazi (Austro-Hungarian Polish) grandmother cooked these on a regular basis. She gave them the nickname “shlengalech,” or “little snakes” in Yiddish, so I had difficulty tracking down a recipe. I’m so glad to have found one here. Thanks for posting!
You’re so welcome Lauren!
I made this twice now. AMAZING! Just like my Bubelah used the make. My one suggestion is to dice a large onion then heavily carmelize it in butter or canola. Toss that in at the very end with the bread crumbs and dumplings. Thanks for sharing this wonderful bit of Eastern European Jewish soul food!!!
You’re so welcome Adam! I’m so happy you enjoyed this recipe. I will definitely try with sauteed onions!
My mom also added heavily caramelized chopped onion, but added them to the dough before boiling.