As touchy and time-consuming as this recipe is, how could we do without it? These noodles are one of the best parts of our Mikulás feast.
3 medium white rose or yukon potatoes
3 C flour
1 egg
1 tsp salt
1½ C dry seasoned bread crumbs
½ C butter or margarine
Boil potatoes until tender. Peel & mash in large bowl while still warm. Knead in flour, egg, & salt until smooth (~10 min). Working with small portions of the dough, roll into “snakes” on a lightly floured surface. Cut into 2” lengths and allow to dry on a floured surface for at least an hour (up to several hours is fine).
Pre-heat oven to 250°F. Melt butter in a skillet, add bread crumbs and cook, stirring constantly, over medium heat until browned. Bring large kettle of water with 1 tbsp. salt added to a boil. Add noodles in batches so as not to over-crowd them, and boil each batch about 5 minutes. Cooked noodles will generally float to the top, but to test for doneness, cut or bite a noodle to see that it is cooked through. Use a slotted spoon to transfer noodles to a colander. Drain for a minute or two, then roll each noodle in bread crumbs. Transfer noodles to a large pan. Repeat with next batch. When all noodles are in pan, bake for 10-15 minutes.
Yields: 6-8 servings
Time to make: 3 + hours
Source: Kathy Hoffman
Confession: I have created a cheaters version of this recipe, which cuts out the first several hours of work and waiting. Rather than making home-made noodles, I use fresh, store-bought gnocchi and skip to the second paragraph of the recipe: toast the breadcrumbs, boil the gnocchi, roll them in crumbs, and bake them. Not for the purist, I know, but with this trick I’m willing to make this recipe much more often than once a year!