Lithuanian meat-filled potato dumplings, "zeppelins" (Cepelinai)

1. Boil a quarter of the potatoes in their skins, peel and mash them; peel the rest, grate finely and squeeze thoroughly in a tea towel (keep the starch that settles at the bottom of the liquid).

2. Quickly knead the raw and cooked potatoes, the settled starch, the potato starch and a teaspoon of salt into an even, pliable dough.

3. Mix the minced meat with one finely chopped onion, salt and pepper; shape the potato dough into palm-sized pieces, put a heaped spoonful of filling in the middle of each and close into elongated, airship-shaped dumplings.

4. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to the boil, carefully lower in the dumplings one by one and simmer gently for 25-30 minutes, stirring carefully now and then so they don't stick.

5. Meanwhile dice the bacon small, render it, add the other finely chopped onion and fry until golden, then take off the heat and stir in the sour cream.

6. Lift the cepelinai out with a slotted spoon and serve piping hot, generously spooned with the bacon and sour cream sauce.

Tip: Lithuania's national dish is named after its shape – the Zeppelin airship; don't let the water boil hard or the dumplings will fall apart – start with a test dumpling.