Round, pillowy potato dumplings made from a mix of grated raw and boiled potato, often stuffed with seasoned minced meat. They are steamed or boiled until soft and bouncy, then served with melted bacon fat or gravy. A filling comfort dish from central and northern Poland.
Round potato dumplings from the Polish kitchen — smooth balls of grated-and-mashed potato dough, served plain under crackling or stuffed with seasoned meat. Filling, frugal and deeply homely, they are weekday comfort across Poland.
Each dumpling is springy and soft, yielding to reveal a savory pocket of juicy minced meat. The slick of smoky bacon fat and sweet fried onion makes them irresistible. They sit warm and satisfying, the definition of homestyle comfort.
Mixing boiled and raw grated potato balances starch for a dough that is both cohesive and light, while a little starch binds it so the dumplings hold their shape. Gentle steaming cooks them evenly without waterlogging.
Variations
Pyzy z mięsem (meat-stuffed), pyzy drożdżowe (yeasted steamed buns), unstuffed pyzy with bacon, sweet cottage-cheese filling
On the Palate
Where Pyzy sits in the Polish flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 4
How it's made
8 steps · 40 min
- 120 min
Boil half the potatoes, mash them, and let them cool.
- 28 min
Grate the remaining raw potatoes and squeeze out excess liquid.
Watch outWring the grated raw potato hard in a cloth until it stops dripping — leftover water makes the dough slack and the dumplings fall apart.
- 37 min
Combine both potatoes with starch, egg, and salt into a smooth dough.
Watch outThe dough is right when it holds a smooth ball that doesn't stick to your palm — too wet and it won't seal, too dry and it cracks.
- 410 min
Fry minced meat with onion and season well for the filling.
- 512 min
Flatten a piece of dough, add filling, and seal into a smooth ball.
Watch outPinch the seam completely shut with damp fingers — any open gap lets water in and the filling leaks out while steaming.
- 64 min
Set the dumplings in a steamer basket without crowding.
- 718 min
Steam until the dough is cooked through and slightly glossy.
Watch outDone when the surface turns from matte to slightly glossy and the dough springs back — a wet, sticky skin means more time.
- 83 min
Serve hot, drizzled with rendered bacon fat and fried onion.
