Potato, ricotta and herb dumplings with walnut and pul biber butter
An easy and satisfying vegetarian dish. Serve with salad as a main, or as part of a spread.
Ingredients
For the dumplings
- 750g/1lb 10oz potatoes
- 500g/1lb 2oz ricotta cheese, drained well
- 2 free-range eggs
- 1 small bunch (about 30g/1oz) dill, finely chopped
- 50²µ/1¾´Ç³ú ‘00’ flour
- light olive oil, for frying
- sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper
For the butter
- 125g/4½oz salted butter
- 3 tsp pul biber (Aleppo pepper) chilli flakes
- 50²µ/1¾´Ç³ú walnuts, roughly chopped
Method
Boil the potatoes whole and unpeeled for 25–35 minutes, or until cooked through.
Drain and allow to cool slightly, then peel away the skins and mash in a large mixing bowl while they are still warm. Leave to cool.
Add the ricotta, eggs, dill and flour to the mashed potatoes and season generously with salt and pepper. Mix well, then put in the fridge for 30 minutes to firm up.
Shape the mixture into small dumplings a little larger than the size of your thumb. Dust each dumpling lightly with the flour and flatten slightly.
Heat a frying pan over a medium-high heat and add a drizzle of olive oil. Flash-fry the dumplings for just a few minutes – the outsides should be golden brown and the centres just warmed through. Transfer to a warmed serving platter.
To make the sauce, melt the butter in a small saucepan over a low heat and stir in the pul biber and walnuts.
Once the butter is warm, pour over the walnut and chilli butter and serve straight away.
