Preparation

Bring potatoes to the boil in a pan of salted water. Reduce heat to low and cook for 1 hour or until tender. Drain, cool slightly, then, holding each potato in a tea towel, peel them.
Place potatoes in a bowl and mash. Add 50 g butter, 300 g flour, egg and 1 tsp salt. Combine, then knead in bowl with remaining 100 g flour, adding extra flour if neccesary, until a soft dough (don’t overwork dough).
Using floured hands throughout, turn out dough onto a floured surface and divide into 30 balls. Working with one ball at a time, make a hole in the centre. Place 3 cherries inside, fold dough over to enclose and re-roll into a ball. Place dumplings on a floured tray.
Working in batches of 5, drop dumplings into a saucepan of boiling salted water and cook for 6 minutes or until they rise to the surface. Remove and place on a large tray.
Melt remaining 200 g butter in a large frying pan over high heat. Add breadcrumbs and cook for 2 minutes or until light golden. Cook dumplings, shaking the pan, for 2 minutes or until well coated. Combine cinnamon and sugar, roll dumplings in the mixture, then dust with icing sugar to serve.

Ingredients

  • 1 kg sebago potatoes
  • 250 g unsalted butter, chopped
  • 400 g (2⅓ cups) plain flour
  • 1 egg
  • 680 g pitted morello cherries
  • 70 g (1 cup) stale breadcrumbs
  • 3 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1½ tbsp caster sugar
  • icing sugar, to serve