A Viennese-Bohemian classic beloved in Vienna and Lower Austria, Powidltascherl were once a Friday meatless meal during Catholic fasting days. The dark, sugarless Powidl plum jam at their heart — cooked down for hours — carries the deep, jammy soul of old Habsburg country cooking.
The potato dough is soft and faintly sweet, giving way to a dense, dark plum filling that tastes of cinnamon, clove and long, slow cooking. The toasted buttery crumbs add a nutty crunch and a final veil of sugar finishes it.
Riced warm potato keeps the dough light and lump-free, while a touch of egg and flour binds it into a workable, tender wrapper. Boiling cooks the dough gently, and the buttery crumb coating adds both texture and richness.
Variations
apricot jam filling, quark-enriched dough, deep-fried instead of boiled, poppy seed coating
On the Palate
Where Powidltascherl sits in the Austrian flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 4
How it's made
8 steps · 35 min
- 118 min
Boil floury potatoes, then peel and rice them while still warm; let cool slightly.
Watch outRice the potato while it's still warm — cold potato goes gluey and lumpy, and the dough turns heavy.
- 28 min
Mix the riced potato with flour, egg, a little butter and salt into a smooth, pliable dough.
- 35 min
Roll the dough thin and cut into squares.
- 48 min
Place a spoon of thick plum jam (Powidl) on each square, fold into a triangle and press the edges to seal.
- 58 min
Gently boil the pockets in salted water until they rise to the surface.
Watch outThey're done the moment they bob to the surface — fish them out then, or the tender dough starts to break apart.
- 66 min
Meanwhile toast breadcrumbs in plenty of butter until golden and fragrant.
Watch outToast the breadcrumbs in plenty of butter to golden and fragrant — that nutty crumb is half the dish's texture.
- 73 min
Lift the cooked pockets and roll them in the buttery crumbs to coat.
- 82 min
Dust generously with powdered sugar and serve warm.
