Traditional Cornish Stargazy Pie vs Semmelknödel (German Bread Dumplings)

Both dishes rely on onion, milk, butter and egg, yet put them to very different work. In the Stargazy Pie, butter and milk are mashed into potatoes for a creamy layer, onion is sautéed in olive oil, and eggs are hard-boiled and quartered, then everything is baked around whole pilchards or sardines in a golden shortcrust case. The result is savoury and fish-forward, with crumbly pastry around a soft filling. Semmelknödel instead uses lukewarm milk and raw egg to bind stale bread cubes with butter-softened onion, parsley and nutmeg, and the mixture is gently poached into springy, delicately spiced dumplings served as an accompaniment.