Scandenavian 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.
Products Used In This Recipe
PrintKlubb Recipe – Norwegian Potato Dumplings
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.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 8-12 dumplings 1x
- Category: Dumplings
- Method: Simmer
- Cuisine: Norwegian
Ingredients
- 4 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
Keywords: Klubb
54 Comments
Ashley Myhre
November 14, 2018 at 5:29 pmExcellent recipe. I’d eat this again. Leftovers were awesome!
★★★★★
Annissa
November 14, 2018 at 8:41 pmGreat idea for using leftovers as a recipe to create a new dish! This sounds delicious, thanks for sharing!
★★★★★
Taylor Kiser
November 14, 2018 at 8:41 pmComfort food for the win! These look so delicious!
★★★★★
Tisha
November 14, 2018 at 9:46 pmI could definitely go for a couple of those!
★★★★★
Jill
November 14, 2018 at 10:41 pmI like your process photos. And seriously, a potato dumpling stuffed with ham and coated with butter? Talk about amazing comfort food!
★★★★★
Natalie
November 14, 2018 at 11:32 pmLooks so delicious and perfect for this season – so hearty and comforting ♥ I love dumplings!
★★★★★
Bonnie Randklev
December 30, 2019 at 5:24 pmWe always added a chunk of onion to ours and have used a variety of meat, smoked polish sauage is excellent and we would make them the size of a softball. Others have used a red sause with Italian sauage. My husband loved making these and made plenty for the next week of frying with melted butter on top but my kids loved the syrup.
★★★★★
Ben
December 31, 2019 at 6:29 amBoth butter and syrup are AOK in my book! 🙂
Frank
November 17, 2018 at 6:56 amVery reminiscent of gnocchi… but with a little surprise inside. Want to try this. 🙂
Ben
November 17, 2018 at 8:43 amHuh…. I guess I didn’t even think of that. I would say that these tend to be much denser and because of the size, it feels heavier. But I totally get where you are coming from.
Frank
November 18, 2018 at 6:52 amThe ingredients list is almost identical other than the ham, but I guess the big difference is the fact you grate the potato and mix it raw with the flour and egg, rather than using the flour and egg to bind cooked and mashed potatoes. Interesting how you can get very different textures (and flavors) just by changing one or two things about a recipe.
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
November 23, 2018 at 7:09 amI’ve never had anything like these before, but would love to try! Sounds like the perfect comfort food recipe to me!! Love the little surprise inside 🙂
★★★★★
Julie
December 27, 2019 at 11:18 pmHave always wanted to make this. Do you recommend white or red potatoes?
Ben
December 28, 2019 at 3:42 pmRussets work great.
Ramona
December 18, 2018 at 9:29 pmI grew up with these due to my Norwegian heritage. I only make them in the winter and truly love them. I stuff the klubb with salt pork sauteed with chopped onion. But my favorite is the next morning leftovers. I cube the klubb, add a couple pads of butter to my black iron skillet, then add the klubb once the butter is melted. While the cubed klubb starts to sizzle in the pan, I add 1/2 & 1/2 and stir. The 1/2 &1/2 actually thickens like a gravy. Once thickened, I scoop over toast and add a little salt and pepper to taste.
★★★★★
Ben
December 19, 2018 at 5:22 amlove it!
Jenna
November 8, 2019 at 6:48 pmWe slice them and fry the slices in butter the next day. Komle is even better the next morning.
Sarah
September 27, 2019 at 9:58 amI’m cooking a huge ham, today, just to try out this recipe! So excited for these.
★★★★★
Marlene Berven
October 6, 2019 at 5:10 amWe put a ham bone in the water and add the potatoe balls (well compressed by hand) in when the tempterature reaches 205 degrees and maintain it just below boiling.
Paula Bailey
November 8, 2019 at 7:53 amOur family makes these for occasions. I don’t use any eggs and add baking powder to the mix. I use a grinder for the potatoes. Yummy comfort food!!
Hazel Hansen
November 11, 2019 at 8:34 amYes,,,this was the way our Norwegian family ate these. Good food!
Merete Nichols
June 7, 2020 at 7:57 amSame. No eggs. According to our family tradition, we don’t put meat inside, but serve with saltkjoett (salt meat) and kaalrabistappe (mashed yellow turnips) on the side. So delicious!
Jean Thomforde
November 9, 2019 at 12:15 pmThese are wonderful, put ham bone and some ham in water for flavoring. When mixture ready ham bone and ham out. Clean bone of usable ham and ham from water for Klub. No egg but do use baking powder. Yummy!! Fried in butter next day is the best.
★★★★★
dianne
November 10, 2019 at 1:20 amWhat KIND of potato is used?
Ben
November 10, 2019 at 8:51 amFor this, I would use Russet. Safe and common potato for traditional recipes prepared in my region.
D Melsness
November 10, 2019 at 6:57 amMy family made these, and ate them with Sour Cream and Kyro syrup ! ! Both, when first cooked, and better, like many said – pan fried the next day. Try the Kyro and Sour Cream ! !
Susan
November 12, 2019 at 8:32 pmNever had a written recipe to give my daughter’s in laws now I do this is a comfort food made for generations in my family korpkoker is what grandma called it love it
★★★★★
Ben
November 13, 2019 at 6:54 amAwesome! This is a big part why I do this!
carl j chiarenza
November 12, 2019 at 8:39 pmI slow bake a smoked picnic, then add that and any drippings and a few large slices of sweet onions in a large pot, bring it to a boil, then lower the temperature to about 190, add the dumplings and simmer a couple of hours. I use the stock the next day for bean and ham soup. Also, i add a little baking powder to lighten the dumplings a mite. Of course, any dumplings left are sliced and fried for breakfast the next morning.
Erin
November 17, 2019 at 8:12 amMy husband’s family is from Norway and mine is from Sweden so I’m always looking for great recipes to make with my kids so they can enjoy foods of their ancestors. This looks easy to make and delicious, will be making this with them soon for the holidays!
★★★★★
kita roberts
November 18, 2019 at 1:01 pmI cant WAIT to try this recipe! I love discovering dishes I have never tried before and these dumplings have my name all over them!
★★★★★
Sigbiz
December 10, 2019 at 11:11 amMy Norwegian friend’s mom and dad would break out the hand meat grinder and crank the raw peeled Russets into a large bowl. Lots of fun.
★★★★★
Paula Deemer
December 22, 2019 at 7:47 pmI think simmering them in some chicken broth would taste great
★★★★
Brian Lande
December 23, 2019 at 10:58 pmI am of Norwegian heritage and it was a winter treat when I. Was growing up we new them as potatoe balls and would have them a couple times a winter. When my mother made them she salted spare ribs a few hours before and the boiled the ribs, with, carrots and turnips then took the ribs and veggies out and would put the formed potatoe ball with salt pork in the centre and simmer till cooked
Ben
December 24, 2019 at 8:26 amThank you so much for sharing and it sounds like you have some great memories surrounding these! Have a great Christmas!
Stephanie W
December 27, 2019 at 10:12 pmThis is a recipe that is traditionally passed down in our family. We make it 2 to 3 times a year for the extended family reunions. (20+ lbs of potatoes/ 10+ lbs of flour) I would recommend a meat grinder for the potatoes, instead of shredding them, also squeeze some of the juice out of the Potato, before you mix in the flour. Keeps them from getting to heavy. My grandma always said, “mix it till it sounds like a baby’s butt when you spank it” So, it gets to a certain point, we start spanking the mixture. Listening for the right “tone” so that we know it’s ready. We will be making a big batch tomorrow!
Ben
December 28, 2019 at 3:43 pmThanks for sharing your story and recipe!
Randi Haverstrom
December 29, 2019 at 1:01 pmMy mother would use a corned beef to flavor the cooking water, and drop the kumle, as we call it, into the simmering water, cooking both at the same time. And by the way, she always “wrung’ out the shredded potatoes in a cloth to get the excess moisture out. The corned beef was then used as side meat for the balls. And yes, next day, they were sliced and fried in butter. Yum!
★★★★★
Ben
December 29, 2019 at 3:24 pmSounds great. Thanks for sharing your story.
Gail
January 6, 2020 at 11:22 pmI wonder, can these dumplings be steamed in a covered dish in the oven or perhaps a steamer basket over boiling water, or do they need the moisture of the boiling water to cook through to the right consistency and doneness?
Ben
January 7, 2020 at 11:52 amI would hesitate on that. Because of the size and density, I think they might need the boiling water.
Heather
January 8, 2020 at 12:49 pmMy family recipe, passed down from my Norwegian side is much simpler. I make it just like Grandma did.
I love to make this Christmas day, because most of the day there’s no work, just a lovely smell in the kitchen, then a little work before dinner, and then comfort and warmth and yumm. I make lefse the day before to serve with it, and Grandpa always wanted green beans as the side, but occasionally we mix it up and serve a different veggie.
First I boil a ham shank all day in my biggest stock pot. I get the biggest shank I can find, usually 15-18#. That feeds 12 of us with plenty of leftovers. a pound per person is just about right though, shanks are bony so a lot of the weight is bones and fat.
We peel and shred russet potatoes. I do 5-10lbs, because I LOVE leftovers, but only shred what you can immediately mix, because otherwise your Klubb will be grey. I like to quarter them or the shreds are too long, and the klubb is just… not right. My grandma used a box grater, I use my food processor with the standard large hole grating disc.
Immediately, we mix in the flour. You keep adding flour until you can’t anymore. The amount of flour varies, so you have to just feel. If they’re still very sticky, you have not added enough. When you just can’t incorporate that last 1/4 cup, you’re ready. If you’ve gone too far and they won’t stick together, add a couple of tbs water. Then you roll them into balls. Grandma made hilariously big klubb balls, they were slow pitch softball sized. HUGE. I prefer smaller, my sister and I use a standard muffin batter scoop, ice-cream scoop, and try to keep them all the same size so they cook well. There is no meat inside ours. Perhaps because of how meaty the rest of the meal is, it doesn’t matter. It means they’re really easy to roll and they don’t tend to fall apart cooking. My sister prefers about 1tbsp baking powder for each 5# of potatoes, I like them either way. Our tradition is just flour and potatoes, but the baking powder does lighten them a little bit.
I then remove the now cooked ham from the broth (boiled ham is the best ham I’ve ever had). I tend the ham with foil and put it in the warming oven to wait for the klubb.
This is where Grandma and I diverge. Grandma would skim off the fat at this point from the ham broth. I do not.
I cook the klubb balls for 20 minutes in boiling ham broth, I cut one in half, if not quite done, I check every 5 or 10 minutes. They are really not too fussy, so overcooking isn’t a big deal. Do make sure after they start cooking to sweep a spoon around the bottom and make sure nobody is stuck and burning on the bottom of the pan.
Grandma served the klubb with ham fat on top, I really really do not like that, so I actually use the broth the klubb cooked in, it’s satly and tasty, but not so heavy. The flour from the balls just makes it that much better. We serve with the lefse, the boiled ham, and usually green beans, and nobody really wants any other sides.
My Grandpa and Dad loved leftovers sliced and fried on a griddle in butter, then eaten with maple syrup. I prefer broth, ham and Klubb. My friend who grew up in a different Norwegian family calls the same thing Kumla, and said her Mom served it for breakfast the next day with warm milk and brown sugar.
Leftovers freeze very well, I freeze one portion with ham, klubb, and broth, and enjoy breaking one out every now and then.
I am tempted to try your version, but I don’t know if I can make myself make klubb any differently. We all just love it the way we have always had it.
Ben
January 8, 2020 at 2:41 pmThanks for sharing your recipe! That is awesome!
Patricia Adams
April 4, 2020 at 11:48 amEnjoyed reading this and plan on trying. Made me think of these https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/7032/chinese-steamed-buns-with-bbq-pork-filling/ Similar but different and tasty. It’s been a while since I have made them and now I can’t decide which to do first. Thank you for your recipe
Patricia Adams
April 4, 2020 at 12:00 pmP.S. To my above reply. I forgot to mention my heritage is 1/2 Swedish-Finn and I remember my Grandma making dumplings in a milk sauce.
Ben
April 4, 2020 at 12:32 pmThanks for the comment! Let me know how it goes for you!
Gerry Tofsrud
September 14, 2020 at 8:15 pmRemember my MIL making Klub with milk sauce too. So good, but I’ve never tried it myself. & now I very seldom Cook. Your recipe is closer to what she used to do. She used side pork when she made her. Basically bacon, but not cured.
★★★★★
Ben
September 15, 2020 at 10:21 amThanks for giving it a look, Gerry.
Scott Gilbertson
May 23, 2020 at 12:12 pmI can remember the grandmas and mom making klub, they used to use fresh lard, ground potatoes (50lbs), flour, no meat, that I can remember. Mom and her mom worked on the potato mixture and the other grandma would sew up multiple bags from a new white sheet, when the mixture was right it was put in the bags and sewn closed by hand then put in the boiling water in the canning pot, when done we would slice and eat with melted butter. We would feed on this for weeks slicing and frying or adding to meat dishes
★★★★
Ben
May 23, 2020 at 1:53 pmSounds wonderful, Scott! Thanks for sharing your memory. This dish is partially about the traditions and memories of many of our families.
Eileen Plath
October 11, 2020 at 12:17 pmWe are German and make basically the same recipe. Our church makes and sells over 1000 at our local Potato Day’s Festival every August in Barnesville MN. They are a treat no matter what your heritage is!
★★★★★
Ben
October 12, 2020 at 8:23 amThey are a treat! Thanks for looking!
Sharon
October 23, 2020 at 9:29 amI make this too, as per Norwegian heritage. But my mom put the potato cubes in the blender with a little water and made a slurry. Then, in the bowl, added it to flour and salt and made the dumplings just like yours. We add fried bacon pieces inside. Boil in water, same… fry up the next day… same… if you were lucky enough to have leftovers.
★★★★★
Ben
October 24, 2020 at 12:01 pmThanks for sharing, Sharon!