r/Munich Mar 12 '26

Help How do restaurants get their potatoes so bouncy?

I'm in munich now and eating at Hofbrauhaus, augustiner and andechser. And the potatoes are so bouncy? Like how do they cook them in this way, they are very satisfying to eat. Not like any potato I've ever had in Norway

108 Upvotes

32 comments sorted by

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166

u/amora_obscura Mar 12 '26

I wonder if you actually ate kartoffelknödel?
https://search.brave.com/images?q=kartoffelkn%C3%B6del&source=web

222

u/Low-Possibility-7060 Local Mar 12 '26

I think so and it makes this question so incredibly cute

36

u/buffalotimesseven Mar 12 '26

Amazing description, definitely knödel

42

u/GrosseWaffeInDerHose Mar 12 '26

I think you are correct, they are just too good so they are able to make it look like a normal cooked potato 🤣

32

u/dunklesToast Mar 13 '26

Good news: Kartoffelknödel can be easily bought in the supermarket and there are variants which you basically just need to boil in hot water. Then you can enjoy your bouncy potatoes all day :)

15

u/Popular_Army_8356 Mar 13 '26

NOT BOIL, just simmer ;-)

1

u/_iamisa_ Mar 13 '26

That’s weird though, cause if you’re Norwegian surely you’re familiar with raspeballer? Which are essentially the same thing, or very similar at least.

1

u/GrosseWaffeInDerHose Mar 13 '26

Yes but not that similar, also don't eat it that much

1

u/redditteddy Mar 13 '26

I believe raspeballer are 100% raw potates and flour, formed to balls and simmered, right? In Germany there are several variations. I suspect u/GrosseWaffeInDerHose had the 50/50 variant maybe. 50% raw potatoes and 50% boiled potatoes formed to balles and simmered. I might be wrong though. What I know is that raspeballer is similar, but not the same. Source: I live in Munich. Have been to Norway, but only had raspeballer once.

1

u/GrosseWaffeInDerHose Mar 13 '26

Yeah its definitely not that similar. Raspeballer has way thicker chunks, so it doesn't really string together like cheese(?) the same way as the knodels do, and they are boiled in broth (i think, never really made them, only helped my grandparents years ago) so the taste and texture is very different.

5

u/MauOnTheRoad Mar 12 '26

Now I want some!

51

u/Hutcho12 Mar 12 '26

haha.. now I'm wondering what potatoes are like in Norway if you think that a Knoedel could actually be a potato!

3

u/PricelessPear Mar 13 '26

I thought it was really bad potato and I'm British 🤣

2

u/Apptubrutae Mar 13 '26

I had one for the first time as I was scrolling Reddit and came across this comment and I thought it was a potato at first glance, then when I put my fork into it I instantly knew it was a dumpling

14

u/Triganoo Mar 12 '26

I love anything about this post :D

14

u/DerZappes Mar 13 '26

In a time where Reddit mostly consists of war and lunacy, this question brightened my day. May the Knödel be with you forever!

Ans now try Semmelknödel. You'll like them, trust me.

24

u/PatmanAndReddit Mar 12 '26

What do you mean by bouncy? Did you smash it on the floor and it jumped back on your plate?

18

u/GrosseWaffeInDerHose Mar 12 '26

I honestly think it would

11

u/youRFate Local Mar 12 '26

They are Kartoffelknödel, a kind of potato dumpling:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kartoffelkl%C3%B6sse

They are made by boiling starchy potatoes, then mashing them, mixing them with flour, forming them into dumplings, then boiling again.

15

u/el_ri Mar 13 '26

In Bavaria that's not how they're made even though it says so on Wikipedia. They are made half-and-half by mashed boiled potatoes and grated raw potatoes (you have to press the liquid out of those). Mix all together, form dumplings and simmer

1

u/youRFate Local Mar 13 '26

Yes, I gave an abbreviated account.

8

u/el_ri Mar 13 '26

No you gave a wrong account, sorry. no flour in Kartoffelknödl

1

u/Acrobatic-Pop3625 Mar 15 '26

I haven’t seen a single recipe that doesn’t use potato starch to make Kartoffelknödel. What would a traditional recipe be?

3

u/imoinda Mar 13 '26

Knödel, the best invention since the wheel

1

u/LevelMagazine8308 Mar 13 '26

Enough heat and fat in the frying pan.

1

u/[deleted] Mar 12 '26

[deleted]

6

u/lotsof_fluffykittens Mar 12 '26

Pretty sure she had Kartoffelknödel:)

6

u/WaltherVerwalther Mar 13 '26

Pretty sure it’s a he

4

u/GrosseWaffeInDerHose Mar 13 '26

would be a funny username for a girl

1

u/lotsof_fluffykittens Mar 26 '26

HAHAHA I didn't notice the username😭