30 MINSMAINSVEGETARIAN

Bryndzové Halušky so Slaninou

Traditional Slovak potato dumplings with sheep's milk cheese and crispy fatty bacon lardons.

YIELD4 Portions
PREP15 mins
COOK10 mins

Ingredients

Halušky Batter

  • 800 g Russet potatoes, peeled and blitzed completely smooth in a food processor
  • 240 g–280 g All-Purpose (AP) flour (unbleached, adjusted for potato moisture)
  • 8 g Fine sea salt
  • To taste Coarse salt (for boiling water)

Cheese Options (Select Option A or B)

  • Option A (Crumbled Sheep's Milk Cheese): 300 g Bulgarian Piknik sheep cheese, French Valbreso feta, or authentic Slovak bryndza, crumbled
  • Option B (Homemade Emulsified Bryndza): 200 g high-quality sheep's milk feta, 70 g full-fat sour cream, 50 ml whole milk, and 0.5 g xanthan gum (sheared in a blender until silky)

Crispy Topping & Garnish

  • 200 g Unsmoked, fatty bacon (like guanciale or lardo), cut into small lardons
  • 30 ml–50 ml Reserved hot starchy dumpling cooking water
  • 15 g Fresh chives, finely sliced

Method

  1. Render Bacon: Add diced bacon lardons to a cold skillet over medium-low heat. Cook slowly until crispy and deep golden brown. Remove with a slotted spoon and keep warm; reserve hot rendered fat.
  2. Homemade Bryndza Prep (Option B only): Combine sheep's feta, sour cream, milk, and xanthan gum in a high-speed blender. Blend until completely smooth and emulsified.
  3. Make Dough: Blitz peeled raw potatoes until liquefied. Pour into a bowl, stir in fine sea salt, and incorporate AP flour in stages with a wooden spoon until a sticky, drop-consistency batter forms. Rest 5 minutes.
  4. Boil Dumplings: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Working in two batches, place the batter onto a haluškár (or a coarse strainer/perforated device) and scrape it using a bench scraper so the small dumplings drop directly into the boiling water. Once floating, boil 2–3 minutes until tender.
  5. Emulsify & Coat: Lift dumplings directly into a warm bowl. Toss immediately with Option A (cheese + 2 tbsp bacon fat + starchy water) or fold in Option B until glossy.
  6. Plate & Finish: Divide into warm bowls, top generously with crispy bacon lardons, a drizzle of hot bacon fat, and fresh chives.
Chef's Tip: 8–10 mm holes for the haluškár are optimal. Never rinse dumplings in cold water—the hot surface starch is essential to emulsify the cheese sauce.