Raspeballer (Norwegian Potato Dumplings)

Why this dinner works

Most weeknight one-pot dinners ask you to choose between two evils: a five-ingredient bowl that tastes like the inside of a saucepan, or a recipe so layered it eats your entire evening. Raspeballer (Norwegian Potato Dumplings) sits comfortably in the middle. It draws on Norway traditions where building flavor in stages — aromatics, then spice, then the slow swell of liquid into starch — is just how dinner gets made on a regular Tuesday.

The whole thing comes together in about 79 minutes in a single soup pot, which means dinner from idea to table is shorter than most podcast episodes. We've leaned on the everyday 14 ingredients listed below, but in the notes after the recipe you'll find the small swaps and shortcuts that make this dish forgiving when your fridge is half-empty.

Method

1. Step 1. Raspeballer & (Optional) Salted Meat
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3. Step 3. If you're making pork knuckle, cook it in simmering water for about 3 hours, until the meat falls from the bone. Remove the pork and save the broth to cook the raspeballer.
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5. Step 5. Boil the boiled potatoes and peel once cooled. Also peel the raw potatoes, and then grate them or run them through a food processor. Use a paper towel to remove some of the moisture from the grated potatoes.
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7. Step 7. Mash the boiled potatoes in a potato ricer or with a masher. Make sure there are no lumps. Add the grated raw potatoes to the mashed potatoes in a large mixing bowl and stir together. Add the barley flour, all purpose flour, and salt and mix together with your hands until the mixture is fully blended.
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9. Step 9. You can cook the raspeballer in either vegetable or beef broth, or if you're making pork knuckle, cook them in the broth from the pork knuckle. Bring the broth to a very light simmer – you don't want it to fully boil because then the raspeballer might break apart.
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11. Step 11. Use a tablespoon dipped in cold water to shape each raspeball in your hand. Try to make them as smooth as possible and then gently drop them into the simmering broth. Dip the tablespoon in a bowl of cold water between each raspeball.
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13. Step 13. Let the raspeballer simmer for about 30 minutes. If you're making smoked sausage, you can heat the sausage in the same pot with the raspeballer. Top with fresh chopped parsley.
14. Step 14. Mashed Rutabaga
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16. Step 16. Peel the rutabaga and carrots and cut into small pieces. Boil in water for about 30 minutes, or until tender. Then drain the water, add the cream/milk, butter and nutmeg and mash until smooth.
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18. Step 18. Serve alongside the raspeballer and meat.

Cook's notes

One pan, fewer dishes. Use the widest, heaviest soup pot you own with a tight-fitting lid. The wider base means faster browning at the start; the lid traps the gentle steam that finishes the dish without scorching the bottom.

Salt as you go. Season the aromatics, season the protein, season the liquid before it reduces. By the time you taste at the end, the only adjustment is usually acid — a squeeze of lemon, a splash of vinegar, a final crack of pepper.

Make it ahead. Like most one-pot dinners with norway roots, the leftovers are arguably better the next day. Cool quickly, refrigerate within two hours, and reheat gently with a splash of water or stock to loosen things back up.

Pairings & serving

This one feels best in a 6-bowl spread with a sharp green salad and something cold to drink. If you want to stretch it for unexpected company, double the liquid and a single starchy ingredient — rice, pasta, potatoes, depending on the recipe — and the whole pan grows without much extra work.

Watch it cooked

If you're a visual learner, there's a free walkthrough of this dish on YouTube.

Original recipe inspiration: source.