Cepelinai

Boil the three hundred grams of potatoes in salted water until fork-tender, about fifteen minutes. Drain, mash until completely smooth with no lumps, and allow to cool to room temperature in a large mixing bowl.

Finely grate the remaining seven hundred grams of raw potatoes into a bowl lined with cheesecloth. Gather the cloth and squeeze firmly over a separate bowl, extracting as much liquid as possible while reserving the starchy water.

Let the reserved potato liquid sit undisturbed for ten minutes, then carefully pour off the water, leaving the settled white potato starch at the bottom. Scrape this starch into the raw potato gratings.

Combine the squeezed raw potato with the mashed potato and the reserved starch, mixing thoroughly with your hands until you achieve a smooth, pliable dough that holds together when shaped. Season with salt.

Prepare the filling by combining the ground beef with the diced onion, minced garlic, salt, and black pepper, mixing well until evenly seasoned. The filling should be compact enough to form into small balls.

Take a generous handful of potato dough, flatten it in your palm, place a walnut-sized ball of meat filling in the centre, then wrap the dough around it completely, shaping into a large oval zeppelin form.

Bring a very large pot of salted water to a gentle boil. Carefully lower the dumplings in batches of four or five, then reduce to a low simmer and cook for twenty-five minutes after they float to the surface.

While the cepelinai cook, fry the smoked turkey vegetable shorteningons in a dry skillet until the fat renders and they become crispy. Add the diced onion and fry until golden brown, creating the traditional cracklings topping.

Remove the cooked cepelinai with a slotted spoon, draining well. Serve two or three per portion, topped generously with sour cream and the crispy smoked turkey and onion cracklings spooned over the top.