Entree: Slovakia – National Cuisine – Bryndzové halušky (Potato Dumplings with Bryndza)

Food safety reminder: Follow safe food-handling practices and use a food thermometer to verify safe internal cooking temperatures.

Serving Size: 4

Approximate Time

Prep 30 min

Cook 15 min

Total 50 min

Ingredients

Potatoes, raw, peeled — 900 g
All-purpose flour — 240 g
Egg, whole — 50 g (optional; included for this estimate)
Salt — 6 g, plus an unspecified amount for boiling water
Water — as needed for dough and boiling
Bryndza (soft sheep's milk cheese) — 225 g; practical catalog estimate: soft sheep's milk cheese
Smoked bacon, diced — 170 g
Onion, raw, thinly sliced — 110 g estimated edible weight
Unsalted butter — 28 g
Black pepper, freshly ground — to taste

Instructions

1. 1. Coarsely grate the peeled potatoes into a large bowl. Add the flour, egg, and 6 g salt; mix into a sticky, workable dough. Add a little flour or water only as needed to adjust consistency.
2. 2. Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil and salt it with an unspecified amount. Set a halušky board, large-holed colander, or spoon by the pot.
3. 3. Working in batches, press small pieces of dough through the holes or cut them from a board directly into the boiling water. When the dumplings float, cook for 1–2 minutes more, until tender. Lift them out with a slotted spoon and drain.
4. 4. While the dumplings cook, fry the diced smoked bacon in a skillet over medium heat until crisp and golden. Remove and reserve the bacon. Cook the sliced onion in the bacon fat until soft and caramelized, then stir in the butter until melted.
5. 5. Put the drained dumplings in a serving bowl or return them to the pot off the heat. Crumble the bryndza over the hot dumplings and toss gently until coated. Fold in the bacon and onion mixture, reserving some bacon for garnish. Season with black pepper and taste before adding any more salt.
6. 6. Serve immediately, garnished with the reserved bacon and spoonfuls of the warm onion and butter mixture.