First of all, no need for congratulations; I’m not pregnant! If I were, I’d have ice cream with my Reuben Potstickers. 🙂 I’ll admit, though, this is a decidedly different combination of ingredients, perhaps a bit odd, and it might just cause cravings for you, too!
Reuben Potstickers with Cheesy Sriracha Dipping Sauce
See, nothing is sacred any longer…and yeah, I really did go there (or here!) with this wild fusion. Hey, there are Reuben Egg Rolls, so why not potstickers?
About Reuben Potstickers:
In these potstickers, flavorful corned beef, tart sauerkraut, sweet pickle, and a touch of cheese are all tucked into a crispy, tender pan-fried dumpling. Who could ask for anything more than this classic sandwich in potsticker form?
That these are fantastic is a given, but then dip these Reuben Potstickers into a creamy, cheesy Swiss cheese dipping sauce spiked with the traditional Thousand Island flavors? Yes, yes, yes, please!
And while you’re at it, why not ante up the flavor and lean just a hair back towards the Asian side with a few shakes of Sriracha and a sprinkle of green onion? Oh, my evil mind! 🙂
I think you’ll love these Reuben Potstickers, and they make quite a few. The potstickers, themselves, have a rather light and airy quality, but the cheesy dipping sauce makes them incredibly rich and filling – allow five or six a person and think about skipping dinner.
Making Reuben Potstickers:
My solution to getting enough potstickers is to make potstickers at home! I usually make a lot – this recipe is for a reasonable amount, about 25 to 30 but can be doubled or tripled from my recipe printout, below.
Potstickers are really not that complicated to make. The filling is usually just mixing together a few ingredients. It’s the folding and pleating that can take some practice. Depending on how your hands work, it can be a little easier for some than for others. Once you’ve made them a few times, you’ll develop a little “muscle memory” and get much quicker at it.
A Few Extra Tips:
Just a couple of notes on the pleating of potstickers.
- First of all, if you’ve never made potstickers, don’t be intimidated, and don’t worry about perfection. I’ve probably made thousands and I’m still learning!
- Be patient. When I started, it took me a couple of batches to get it down; it took my son’s g/f three potstickers! How easy it is depends on how nimble your fingers are.
- The first few will be a bit slow but then you’ll pick up speed and in no time you’ll be crimping like a pro.
- Crimping from one side to another takes a little longer to master but is much quicker than going from the center out to each side.
- Make it fun! Put everything on a big cookie sheet & carry it into the living room and watch a show; make them with friends or family.
- Use a little teaspoon scoop if you have one – it makes it so much easier to fill than a spoon does.
- If you don’t feel like crimping a fancy potsticker, though, fold them in half and seal them. They’ll still taste delicious!
Storing and Reheating Reuben Potstickers:
Uncooked Potstickers can be stored in the refrigerator, tightly covered, before cooking (but it’s not ideal; they can dry out) for a day or two.
They freeze beautifully so that’s a better option. Simply place the potstickers in a single layer, not touching each other, on a sheet tray lined with wax or parchment paper and freeze. Once frozen, place in Ziploc bags and to protect the potstickers, place the bag(s) in a sturdy container.
Do not thaw; heat from frozen using the same method as below, but add two minutes to the steaming process. Watch the water level and the bottoms of the potstickers!
Place already cooked potstickers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three to five days. Reheat by placing on a plate. Cover loosely with a damp paper towel. Microwave for a minute and check to see if they’re hot; add additional time if needed.
Saving Money on Reuben Potstickers:
Any type of Asian food is almost always cheaper at an Asian market. The potential pricey item here (if you’re making your potstickers from leftover corned beef) is the potsticker wrappers (or skins as they’re often called.)
If you can’t pick them up from an Asian market, look for them on sale at your regular grocery store around the Lunar New Year. (If you have a freezer, of course – and if you’re interested in saving money, you should!) Check, too, for any other jarred, canned, or bagged items that you may wish to pick up at a low.
I made these potstickers from my leftover Corned Beef Dinner, so they were very inexpensive to make. Maybe I should be a bit more precise – I made these from ingredients left over from my Reuben Sandwiches that were made from my leftover Corned Beef Dinner! Even my leftovers have leftovers!
And why waste any extra sauerkraut? This year I also made one of the best-tasting soups I’ve ever made with the rest of the Corned Beef Dinner, Connemara Soup from the Simon Pearce Restaurant.
Don’t forget to check out my post, Savings on St. Pat’s for items to look on sale during the pre-holiday weeks. It’s more than just corned beef! I’m big into saving you money – Win at the Grocer’s has links for shopping well for every food holiday!
I hope you all have enjoyed this post on Reuben Potstickers! They’ve become somewhat of a fave at our house whenever I have a bit of leftover corned beef. If you’d like to see some of my other Irish and Irish American dishes, be sure to check out the posts I have gathered together under Irish Collection.
Enjoy!
Mollie
Reuben Potstickers
Reuben Potstickers (Gyoza) with a Cheesy Sriracha Dipping Sauce
- Prep Time: 45 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 25 to 30 1x
- Category: Appetizer
Ingredients
For the Potstickers:
- 1 package of potsticker skins
- 6 ounces of corned beef, chopped finely if this won’t be made in a food processor.
- 2 ounces Swiss cheese, grated
- 3/4 cup drained sauerkraut (save the brine)
- 1 heaping teaspoon pickle relish, preferably sweet
- 2 tablespoons thinly sliced green onion, mostly the green part
- several tablespoons juice from corned beef or broth, to moisten
- 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
- additional cornstarch for sprinkling on a plate or tray
For the Cheesy Sriracha Dipping Sauce
- 1 oz cream cheese, heated briefly in the microwave
- 1/3 cup grated Swiss cheese
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 1 heaping tablespoon ketchup
- a little sweet pickle juice and the brine from the sauerkraut to thin, start with a tablespoon each and add more after it’s melted.
- Sriracha to taste
Instructions
Filling:
Mix corned beef, cheese, sauerkraut, relish, and green onion. This may be pulsed in a food processor, before adding green onion. Moisten with several tablespoons of corned beef broth (another broth may be substituted if you’ve bought precooked corned beef.) Use your judgment, the mixture should be moist but not wet. Mix in about 1/2 teaspoon of cornstarch.
To Fill and Fold:
Ready your filling, a small cup or bowl of water, a couple of clean kitchen towels, slightly dampened, and the skins (wrappers.) Sprinkle a plate or a sheet tray with a little cornstarch. This is easily done by adding a teaspoon or so of cornstarch to a sieve and sprinkling over the surface. Tap out any excess cornstarch.
Work with six wrappers at a time, covering the remainder of them with a damp towel. Pick up a wrapper, place it in your left (or non dominant) hand, across the top of your palm and bottom of your fingers. Use a finger dipped in water to run a bead of moisture around the outside of edge of the wrapper. Add a scant teaspoon of filling, then fold in half, from the edge closest to your palm to the edge closest to your fingers. Make certain it meets in the middle, but don’t press down, yet.
You’ll use your left thumb and right thumb and index fingers to pleat and seal. Make the first pleat on the left side of the wrapper. Continue to shift and pleat, pressing each pleat to the back side of the dumpling wrapper as you go. Make sure no little pieces of filling are sticking up where the seal is going to be. Shift a bit and tap the filling down if necessary.
Eight pleats are said to be an auspicious number, but make as few or as many as desired. As each potsticker is done, place on prepared tray by rows. As you place the dumplings, feel free to very lightly press so the bottom is flat and gently press the top into a curved shape, making sure the seals are tight. When six are done, cover with a damp towel and move on to the next six.
To Cook:
Heat a large nonstick pan with 1 tablespoon of cooking oil over medium heat. When the oil is warm, add the dumplings, flat side down, to the pan. If working with a large batch, start at the center, and place in concentric circles, as quickly as possible. If they’ve been sitting on cornstarch, brush any excess off before starting to fry. That little bit of cornstarch has a purpose; it helps the bottom fry up beautifully.
Let fry for 1 minute until the bottoms are light golden brown. You may need to shift the pan slightly from side to side on the burner to make certain all the dumplings brown at the same time. Pour 1/3 cup of water (or broth) into the pan and immediately cover with a tight fitting lid. Turn heat to medium and let the dumplings steam for 3 minutes.
Open lid and let any remaining liquid cook off (about 1 minute.) Check to see if the bottoms are crispy and golden brown and all potstickers have loosened from the steaming. If not, cook longer if necessary or if any are stuck carefully loosen with a thin spatula. Place a large plate over the pan, and carefully flip the whole works. If any are remaining in the pan, remove them.
To keep the bottom crisp, turn any potstickers resting on the bottom to their side.
To cook more, quickly wipe pan clean and repeat.
For the Cheesy Sriracha Dipping Sauce:
This can be made in a small pan, but is much easier in the microwave. Soften cream cheese, add the rest of ingredients and stir. Microwave until cheese is melted. Stir together. Add more of the pickle juice and/or sauerkraut brine until the sauce is desired consistency, keeping in mind it will thicken a bit as it cools to room temperature.
Add Sriracha, I use two or three shakes, but add to taste. Feel free to taste and adjust to your liking; consider this to be a guideline.
Keywords: Appetizer, Asian, Cheese, Corned Beef, Green Onion, Irish, leftover corned beef, pickle relish, Sauerkraut, swiss cheese
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