Idrijski žlikrofi (Slovenian Potato-filled Dumplings) is a traditional Slovenian recipe for a dumpling made of pasta-type dough with a potato, onion, bacon and herb filling. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Slovenian version of: Slovenian Potato-filled Dumplings (Idrijski žlikrofi).
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Idrijski žlikrofi is a classic Slovenian recipe for a wheat dough dumpling with a potato, bacon, onion and herb filling that’s served as a light meal or accompaniment. As the name suggests, the recipe originated in the town of Idrija.
The exact origins of these dumplings remain shrouded in mystery. Some sources suggest that žlikrofi were brought to Idrija by German mining families from Transylvania in the early 19th century, as the name appears to derive from the German schlichtkrapfen—meaning ‘slippery dumpling’.
Ingredients:
For the Dough:
300g flour
1 egg
60 ml water
60 ml milk
2 tbsp oil
For the Filling:
500g waxy potatoes (not new potatoes), peeled
50g bacon (you can use pork cracklings if you’ve recently roasted some pork), chopped
50g onion, finely chopped
1 bunch of chives, finely chopped
1 bunch of marjoram, finely chopped
salt, and freshly-ground black pepper, to taste
Method:
Mix all the ingredients for the dough together either by hand or using a food processor. The dough should be smooth and elastic with no air bubbles and softer than the pasta dough. Set in a bowl, cover with clingfilm and set aside to rest for at least 30 minutes.
In the meantime, bring a pan of salted water to a boil. Add the potatoes and cook for about 25 minutes, or until fork tender. Drain in a colander and either mash or rice them whilst still warm.
Set a non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Once hot, add the bacon and onion and fry until the bacon is crisp (no need to add oil as the bacon will render its fat). Once cooked, turn the mixture onto a plate and set aside to cool.
In a bowl, mix together the cooled potatoes, bacon and onion mixture and the herbs. Season to taste with salt and freshly-ground black pepper them mix thoroughly to combine.
Form nut-sized balls from the filling, wetting your hands will help here if the mixture is sticky.
Take the rested dough and turn out onto a lightly-floured work surface. Dust the top of the dough and your rolling pin with flour then roll the dough out as thinly as you can. If you have a pasta machine you can use this with the lasagne slot instead of rolling manually.
Cut the rolled dough so you get a straight line then sit the filling balls about 1 finger width apart along the edge.
Roll the dough around the filling until the balls are completely covered. Use a knife to cut the dough free of the main sheet. Now press down between the balls with your finger so that the mixture does not escape while cooking.
Cut along the middle between each pair of filling balls.
Shape the žlikrofi: press the rims together to form the 'ears' of the dumpling, and then use your thumb to form a dimple on the top of it. Keep the dumplings apart from each other on a floured surface.
Bring a pan of water to a boil then drop in the dumplings, cooking the žlikrofi until they float to the surface.
Žlikrofi are typically served with bakalca, pork crackling, or simply drizzled with butter or lard and sprinkled with chives
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