Bryndzové halušky is the name of Slovakia’s national dish. It is a true comfort food. It is little dumplings made with from grated potato, flour and egg. The little dumplings are boiled and then smothered in a special sheep’s cheese and topped with bacon bits and drippings. Seriously what is not to love, potato, cheese and bacon!
The easiest way to make the Bryndzové halušky is with a spaetzle maker like this one. If you don’t have one, a grater or colander can work just push use a spoon or scraper to push the dough through the holes into the boiling water.
You most likely will not be able to find the very special sheep’s cheese called bryndza in your local market so you can come close by mixing together sheep feta with heavy cream. The real thing is very popular all throughout Slovakia. It requires 10 stages to fully ripen. It must be at least 50% sheep’s milk to be authentic. Its color varies from a creamy white to a “willowy green”. It is a bit salty, and tangy which is perfect in the Bryndzové halušky.
Did you know that Borovicka is Slovakia’s national drink? It is flavored with juniper berries and similar to gin. If you would like to learn more about the food and culture of Slovakia, be sure to check out “Our Journey to Slovakia” there you will find more authentic recipes like their famous Kapustnica, a lovely sauerkraut soup.
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Bryndzové halušky (the national dish of Slovakia)
A true comfort food made with potato dumplings, sheep's cheese and bacon, what is not to love?
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 1 cup flour
- 1 egg
- 1 potato
- 1/3 cup water
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 5 oz bryndza OR sheep feta mashed with 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 5-7 slices of thick bacon
- salt to taste
Instructions
Instructions
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Finely grate the potato into a bowl, keeping the juice. Add flour, egg, and salt, and stir with a wooden spoon. Add water and stir until all the lumps are smoothed out. If the dough is too runny, add flour; if too thick, add water.
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In a large pot, bring water to a boil and add salt. Transfer the potato dough into the boiling water by using a spaetzle maker, or push the dough through a large grater or colander. Gently boil all halušky for 7 or 8 minutes, until they all float to the top.
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Meanwhile, fry the bacon until crisp and dice it into cubes.
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Strain the halušky and mix with bryndza. Sprinkle the bacon on top and pour the rendered bacon fat all over. Salt to taste and serve immediately.
