Škubánky s mákem

The story

Škubánky are a Czech dish of boiled potatoes and flour beaten into a soft dough. Peeled potatoes are boiled soft and mashed in part of their cooking water, then buried under a layer of flour. Holes poked down to the bottom of the pot let the steam rise through the flour, which cooks under the lid for 15 to 20 minutes before everything is beaten into a smooth, sticky dough. Spoons dipped in melted butter or lard then pull off rough pieces, and that motion probably gives the dish its name, from škubat, to pluck or tear. Because the flour cooks in the pot, škubánky need far less flour than šišky or knedlíky and no second boiling, which made them an easy supper. The best-known version is sweet: škubánky s mákem, scattered with ground poppy seed and powdered sugar and drenched with hot butter, a typical Czech sweet dinner. Some cooks fry the pieces in lard and add tvaroh, the Czech farmer's cheese, and leftovers go back into a hot pan the next day until golden. A savory version with bacon, fried onion and chives also has its fans. Serve the sweet version as a meatless main after a bowl of soup such as česnečka.