- Cuisine
Erdepfinidei
A traditional, down-to-earth dish that goes by many names ¬– some know it as "Pinzgauer Freitagsnidei", others as “Erdepfinidei”, “Bauchzweckerl”, “Damnidei” (referring to the thumb thickness) or “Oischneidnidei” (referring to cutting the “Nidei” from the dough roll). But it doesn’t matter how you call it. As soon as the Nidei, usually served with sauerkraut, is brought to the table, the cook is applauded enthusiastically. Saalbach Stories knocked on the kitchen door of the Saalbach Hinterglemm Tourism Director to obtain a recipe for this dish from the Pinzgau region and received the secret family recipe recommended by the chef.
“Nobody cooks this dish as well as my mum!” says Wolfgang Breitfuß, Managing Director of the Saalbach Hinterglemm Tourism Association. He has been managing the Tourism Association since 1995 and, as a graduate of the hotel school Klessheim, has learned to cook himself. “The “Freitagsnidei”, as we call them, I prefer made by my mum. They must be properly fried to a crisp, and there must be plenty of bacon in the sauerkraut," he says, laughing, while his mother Annemarie swings the pan with the Nidei in the kitchen.
What´s her secret, we want to know and Annemarie laughs, "For the “Fridaynidei” I use potatoes which I cook on the previous day and cool of overnight. And be sure to take your time for frying properly. Serve the Nidei with sauerkraut and a glass of cold milk! To the sauerkraut I add, in addition to the soup, a little honey and butter – that gives it a nice and mild taste.” While Annemarie tells me the family recipe, Wolfgang Breitfuß secretly snitches a fried Nidei directly from the pan. “Exacly like they should be! Only mother can make them that good!”
Pinzgauer Freitagsnidei
Ingredients for 4-5 people
- 1.5 kg of waxy potatoes
- some flour as needed
- salt
- Fat for frying the Nidei
Peel the potatoes cooked the previous day and press them through a potato press. Salt the mashed potatoes and add flour to the mixture. This requires a little sensibility, because the mass should not be too soft! Knead the dough well, shape it into rolls and let them rest for about half an hour. Then cut the dough rolls on a floured working surface, cut them again in half and form finger-thick and 1 cm long shapes.
Heat fat in a large pan, fry the Nidei slowly until golden brown and crispy. Do not put too many at a time in the pan, because the Nidei must have enough space to move around and also must not stick together.
Preparation sauerkraut
- 1 1/2 packets of mild sauerkraut (about 1/2 kg)
- Soup seasoning
- honey
- water
- bay leaves
- juniper berries
- and some butter
Allow the unwashed sauerkraut to simmer slightly with a little water, soup seasoning, bay leaves and juniper berries. Add honey and refine with a little butter.
Serve with a glass of cold milk – enjoy your meal!
