Bryndzové Halušky

Medium·45 min active + 15 min resting

Slovakia's national dish — small irregular dumplings of grated raw potato + flour + egg, boiled, then tossed hot with bryndza sheep cheese (EU PGI 2008) and topped with rendered lard and crispy pork cracklings (škvarky) and/or smoked bacon bits.

Egg

Bryndzové halušky is the iconic Slovak dish, with bryndza ('Slovenská bryndza') protected as an EU PGI since 2008. Its origin lies in the shepherd-pastoralist tradition of the Tatra/Carpathian mountains.

Spoon up halušky — small pale dumplings coated in melted bryndza cheese, rendered fat glistening, crispy pork cracklings and bacon bits dotted throughout. Bite: dumpling tender-chewy from potato-and-flour, bryndza's distinctive sharp-tangy sheep-cheese punch, the smoky salt of bacon, and a cooling spoon of sour cream. The dish is hearty, deeply pastoral. With a glass of Slovak slivovitz, this is Tatra mountain home cooking.

Grating raw potato releases starch that binds with flour and egg into a sticky batter. Scraping the batter through a board or a colander into boiling water breaks it into the small irregular halušky, which set as they cook. Tossing the hot dumplings with bryndza melts the cheese into a creamy coating.

Variations

Strapačky (bryndza halušky with stewed cabbage). Halušky with kapusta (sauerkraut). With added quark cheese. Modern restaurant version with truffle. With dill garnish. Pre-made dried halušky version.

On the Palate

Where Bryndzové Halušky sits in the Slovak flavor cloud

Cook to learn

Toss the halušky with the bryndza while they're piping hot — the residual heat is what melts the cheese into a creamy coating; cold dumplings just leave you with crumbles.

Techniques

Boiling

Ingredients

Serves 4

200 g smoked baconPork

to serveSour Cream

1 tspSalt

How it's made

10 steps · 45 min active + 15 min waiting

1
12 min
Peel and grate 1 kg potatoes finely; drain excess liquid.
2
6 min
Mix grated potato with 250 g flour, 1 egg, 1 tsp salt to a thick sticky batter.
3
10 min
Dice 200 g smoked bacon; render in a pan over medium heat 8 min until crispy. Reserve fat.
Watch out
Render the bacon slowly until crisp and the fat runs clear — that reserved fat seasons the whole dish.
4
6 min
Bring large pot of salted water to a rolling boil.
5
4 min
Push potato batter through halušky maker (or coarse grater) into the boiling water.
6
5 min
Cook 4-5 min until dumplings float to surface.
Watch out
Pull the dumplings the instant they bob to the surface — floating means set; a moment too long and they go soft.
7
2 min
Drain dumplings with slotted spoon.
8
4 min
Immediately toss hot dumplings with 300 g crumbled bryndza cheese (or substitute fresh feta + cottage cheese) and 3 tbsp rendered bacon fat.
Watch out
Toss while steaming hot so the crumbled bryndza melts into a smooth, glossy coating.
9
2 min
Plate and top with crispy bacon bits and a dollop of sour cream.
10
1 min
Serve immediately.