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Scandinavian comfort food that goes by many names. Whether you call it Pault, Pult, Klubb, Klub, Korppkakor, Raspeball, kumle, komle, kompe, or potetball… it is the same delicious flavors. This Klubb Recipe is great. Often served as a Norwegian holiday favorite in our area, these Norwegian Potato Dumplings holds a place in many family traditions.
I sort of fell deep into heritage recipes with our Knoephla Soup series and we are going to explore that a bit more today. We are going to move away from Germany, however, and are going to travel to Norway to make some Klubb. Klubb is a traditional meat-filled Norwegian potato dumpling that really is tasty, filling, and interesting. Join us on our adventure of making Klubb, a Norwegian Potato Dumpling.
What are Klubb Dumplings?
I already established that it is a Norwegian dumpling, but there is more to it than that. The actual dumpling portion is a mix of shredded potatoes and flour. Then, the center of the dumplings have a hunk of salted pork. Other kinds of meat work, but pork is the most common. I tried several different variations and I think ham works quite well.
These are fairly dense and filling dumplings that are fairly large. I would say that I had the best results with making them about the size of extra large meatballs or maybe slightly smaller than the size of a racquetball. They are tasty little suckers.
Other Names and Locations
While I know this dish as a Norwegian one, it has roots in many parts of Scandinavia and is known by many names. Pault, Pult, Klubb, Klub, Korppkakor, Raspeball, kumle, komle, kompe, and potetball are all names that I have heard for this same recipe. A friend told me about pault and that it is from Swedish origin, but is the same dish. I think it is fair to say that it really is a Scandinavian dish.
Making Klubb Dumplings
It actually took me quite a few times to get these little suckers right. At first, I was finding that the recipe I was making was more of a batter and they would pork-filledfall apart in the simmering water. I also experimented with different sizes of shreds and I found similar frustration. Finally, I figured it out.
This dumpling dough should have a consistency that is similar to a dense bread or pizza dough before it has risen. It should feel and look solid enough so that it might weather 30-45 minutes in simmering water. I found that if I started off with my shredded potatoes and eggs, I could add flour until I created a manageable dough. I mixed it until it was kneadable like a bread dough and firm. For me, the ratio I found was about 4 potatoes and 3 cups of flour, but I would not hesitate to add more flour if need be.
Simmering These Dumplings
There are a few things to watch for when making Klubb dumplings, particularly when simmering these dumplings. First, use a large pot. We do not want to crowd these guys. They need room. Second, use plenty of salt in the water you are making these dumplings in. This will give these guys a bit more flavor.
Finally, be aware of stirring these dumplings. There is a bit of a balance going on when you are simmering these dumplings. I found that they have a tendency to stick to the bottom of the pan, which you want to prevent. At the same time, you do not want to agitate the dumplings so much that they start to fall apart in the pot.
To combat them falling apart, I add them to the pot and allow to simmer for five minutes. Then, using a large metal spoon or spatula, I make sure the dumpling are not sticking to the bottom and carefully loosening them if they are. We want to work to make sure the dumplings stay in tact and are not sticking at the bottom. After the first 10 minutes, you are probably in a safer zone, but just something to watch for.
Serve with Butter
The accompaniments of this dish are super simple. A few chopped green onions, melted butter, salt, and pepper are all that is needed for this dish. It really is a filling meal and does not need much more than the dumplings themselves.
Leftovers RULE
I told my father-in-law I was making this and he told us about a fond memory of his. His mother used to make this dish, but then these dumplings were served for breakfast the next day as leftovers. They would chop up the dumplings, fry them in butter, and then serve them with syrup. We tried it and it really is great. I think I found something to experiment with.
While he recommended syrup, in my mind I was thinking that this really could be good with some Asian spice flavors as well. Sriracha or Sambal Oelek could work really well with these leftovers. So much food to eat and not enough belt notches to expand to. Sigh.
I hope you really enjoyed our little departure from Knoephle soup and feel like making this dumpling. Thank you so much for reading along and if you like what we are doing, please take some time to subscribe to my email, follow me on Instagram, and follow me on Pinterest.
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Klubb Recipe – Norwegian Potato Dumplings
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 8-12 dumplings
- Category: Dumplings
- Method: Simmer
- Cuisine: Norwegian
Description
These Norwegian Klubb Dumplings are so tasty, filling, and a great way to celebrate Scandinavia. Whether it is a holiday tradition or a weeknight meal, these dumplings are worth the effort.
Ingredients
- 4 medium russet potatoes, peeled and shredded
- 3 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 egg
- Approximately 4 ounces ham or other cooked pork cut into 8-12 cubes
- 5 Tablespoons melted butter
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Bring large pot of salted water to hard simmer
- While water is warming, grate potatoes and put in big bowl
- Add flour, egg, and salt to the bowl
- Mix and knead until firm. Add more flour if necessary to bring to stiff bread dough consistency
- Wrap dough around one cube of ham. Each dumpling should be the size of a large meatball and you should get 8-12 dumplings.
- Drop dumpling into simmering water and allow to cook for 45 minutes, making sure dumpling does not stick to the bottom of the pot.
- remove with a slotted spoon and serve with butter, salt, and pepper
Notes
- I recommend using Russet, but Yukon Gold would work as well. You can try other potatoes, but you will get varied results.
My family’s recipe, my grandmother taught me, her mother taught her etc.
We start by boiling an entire ham shank. It should all or almost all be submerged. A 10lb ham shank cooks in 3-4 hours. Boiled ham sounds weird but it is delicious. If it’s frozen, just add a couple hours.
I like to do this on Christmas so it’s almost no hassle all day and smells great.
When the ham is about done I start peeling russet potatoes. I do 5-10lb, so I put them in acidified water, with a little vinegar or lemon juice, to keep them from going grey while I make the klubb. If you only do a few this might not be a problem. To make the dough is simple. You shred a bunch, like 4 or 5potatoes worth. I cut the potatoes before shredding because otherwise if I use the food processor the shreds get too long. When we used a box grater we’d always get shorter shreds even if we didn’t cut them up. They need to be no more than about 1.5 inches long.
Then you add flour and mix by hand until you can’t add anymore flour. Then you add more flour. It’s an extremely dense dough. There was never a concern that it would fall apart. 🙂 my grandma made huge klubb balls, but we prefer them about the size you describe here. Otherwise they take forever to cook.
You remove the ham from the stock pot and tent it with foil. Get the water boiling, and add the first couple batches of klubb balls. They will take about an hour to cook. Make sure to give the whole thing a good stir so that none get stuck to the bottom. Then you either walk away or make the second batch depending on how many dozen people you’re feeding. I’m kind of joking… I make 2 large batches (about 5lb of potatoes about 30-40 balls) for a dozen people.
If I’m making a lot, I keep the ham in the warming oven while the klubb cooks.
We always have klubb with green beans. Don’t ask me why Grandpa Ole said that’s just how it’s done. I don’t make the rules.
Serve klubb with the sliced ham and the beans. Of course there’s butter on the beans. Then take some of the broth the klubb was served in and pour it over basically everything. Trust me. Just try it. My parents and grandparents would remove the ham day from the broth before cooking the klubb and pour the fat on everything. I just can’t, I never liked that, so I saved the fat for my Dad and everyone else preferred the broth.
My Norwegian granny made these and they were holiday favorites in our family! She always cooked them in the ham water (water after boiling a ham) – they were always served with a ham so she did not put meat inside. Her recipe didn’t use an egg. She said the trick was to use old potatoes. Thanks for sharing!
That’s what we do too! I’ve never heard of the exact same recipe before.
We tried your recipe. The dumplings turned out a little heavy. We added flour as they were so sticky. Is sticky ok as I think we added too much flour? We ate them and enjoyed each one
My mom used to make a similar version calling it “Pund Rusk (phonetic).
Basically as I remember, it was grated potato, some flour, bacon pieces, (which renders bacon fat during baking) all baked in a 8 x13 baking dish until potato is cooked.
Could never find that recipe after she passed on
Anyone out there heard of or made anything similar please let me know as it is different than boiling !!!!!
My Dad would grate the potatoes and add flour and salt then put this in a 9×13 pan and bake it but I don’t think he had a written recipe it was all in his head but it was very good especially the next day we would cut it in
Squares and cut the square in half and fry it in butter till it got a little crispy on both sides and oh boy was it good I’ve been tempted to try making it but just haven’t yet.
We also don’t make it with an egg and we cook short ribs so that the klubb doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pot.
Thank you for printing this recipe!
I grew up with this fabulous dish
& never knew how to make it like my
Grandma & Mom did! I LOVE IT & now I can make it for my Sisters
Thank you for printing this recipe!
I grew up with this fabulous dish
& never knew how to make it like my
Grandma & Mom did! I LOVE IT & now I can make it for my Sisters
My family use to make klubb in a roaster with salt pork pushed into the dough. Next morning the leftovers would be cubed and fried in heavy cream. When the cream was soaked up the klubb was done. A big dollop of butter on the plate to put on the cubes.
Your recipe is so very similar to the one my grandmother made growing up. I haven’t made it for years, but this recipe popped up and inspires me. Our family recipe also had the dumplings cook in ham broth. After cooking the ham, the bone was and boiled to make the salty ham flavored broth – the leftover hambits set aside to put inside each dumpling. When grating the potatoes, we grated them into a bowl of cold water, swish them around in the water, and then let them sit. Carefully pour off the water, leaving the potatoes and the settled starch in the bottom. This prevented the potatoes from turning brown and made for a much whiter dumpling. We also didn’t add egg. Sooo yummy, but the next day, (if there were any dumplings left), we would slice them and fry them in butter!
I am Swede/norwegian. Raised on kluub. Never added egg. ONLY used salt pork and simmered at least 11/2 hours to cook salt pork. We topped them with sour cream, salt and pepper and butter. It is a lot of work because I make pounds of it to share with family.❤️❤️❤️❤️
Tonight we will try it your way!
I’m vegetarian. Norwegian don’t always put something into the potetball. So I don’t. Instead I serve(drown) them with fried onions or fried cabbage.