AUTUMNAL POTATO KNEDLE WITH JUICY PLUM FILLING

Plums immediately come to my mind when I think of early autumn and these dumplings hold a special place in both my heart and stomach.

This sugary, soft dumpling releases its glorious, sweet-yet-tangy, fragrant juiciness once pierced with a knife. As soon as you smell the sweetness of the cooked plum and see the juices escaping out onto the plate it’s very hard to wait before eating them, but wait you must – just for a moment – before you bite into this small piece of heaven as it is too hot for immediate consumption. {Serves 4}

300 g (10½ oz) plums, pitted

100 g (3½ oz/½ cup) brown sugar, plus extra to serve

350 g (12 oz) potatoes, cooked and mashed

125 g (4½ oz/1 cup) plain (all-purpose) flour

1 small egg

pinch of salt

50 g (1¾ oz/3½ tablespoons) salted butter

125 g (4 oz/scant 1 cup) dried breadcrumbs

First place the plums in a bowl with half the brown sugar and toss to coat.

Combine the mashed potatoes with the flour, egg and salt in a bowl and knead it with your hands until you create a doughy consistency. Turn out onto a floured surface and roll into a baguette shape. Cut the baguette shape into even slices, and make a little dent in each one. Place a sugary plum in each one, fold the dough over and pinch all the way round to seal them.

Bring a pan of lightly salted water to a boil and place all the dumplings in it. When the dumplings float to the top, cook for a further 4–5 minutes.

While the dumplings are cooking, melt three-quarters of the butter in a frying pan (skillet) and fry the breadcrumbs for a few minutes until golden brown. Drain the dumplings well, then transfer them to the pan of breadcrumbs and fry for a minute or two, until they are coated with the breadcrumbs.

Melt the remaining butter in a separate frying pan and add any leftover plums. Cook for a minute or two, until they release their juices.

Serve the dumplings with the plum sauce on the side, sprinkled with brown sugar.

{Time: 1 hour}