Tradičná Fašírka
Golden, crispy pan-fried spiced pork patties with garlic, marjoram, and milk-soaked breadcrumbs, perfect served hot or cold over traditional prívarok.
Ingredients
Meat Base & Aromatics
- 600 g Minced pork shoulder or pork neck (bravčové pliecko / krkovička, ~20% fat)
- 2 Day-old bread rolls (rožky) or 80 g white bread, cut into small cubes
- 120 ml Whole milk (to soak bread)
- 1 Large egg
- 1 Medium yellow onion, very finely minced
- 4 cloves Fresh garlic, grated or crushed
- 15 g Rendered pork lard or butter (for sautéing onion)
- 6 g Dried wild marjoram (majoránka), crushed between palms
- 6 g Premier sweet Hungarian/Slovak paprika
- 1 g Whole caraway seeds (celá rasca), crushed
- 7 g Fine sea salt & 2 g freshly cracked black pepper
Breading & Frying
- 100 g Fine dry breadcrumbs (strúhanka, for dusting)
- 80 g–100 g Rendered pork lard (bravčová masť) or high-heat oil (for shallow frying)
Recommended Prívarok Pairings
- Zemiaky na Kyslo: Creamy sweet-sour potato stew with dill and bay leaves.
- Šošovicový Prívarok: Rich sweet-sour brown lentil stew.
Method
- Soak Bread & Sauté Aromatics: In a small bowl, pour milk over diced stale rolls; let soak for 5 minutes, then gently squeeze out excess liquid with your hands. In a small pan, melt 15 g lard over medium heat and sauté minced onions for 5–6 minutes until soft and translucent. Stir in grated garlic off heat for 30 seconds.
- Mix Meat Mixture: In a large mixing bowl, combine minced pork, soaked squeezed bread, sautéed onion-garlic mixture, raw egg, crushed marjoram, sweet paprika, crushed caraway, sea salt, and black pepper. Mix vigorously with your hands for 2–3 minutes until the mixture turns tacky and emulsified.
- Shape & Dust: Divide the meat into 8 equal portions (~100 g each). Shape into flat oval or round patties (~1.5 cm thick). Lightly dredge each patty in dry breadcrumbs, tapping off any excess.
- Pan Fry: Melt pork lard in a heavy skillet over medium heat (fat should be 5–6 mm deep). Lay patties in without overcrowding. Fry for 5–6 minutes on the first side until deep golden and crisp, flip, and fry for another 4–5 minutes until cooked through (internal temperature 74°C).
- Drain & Serve: Lift patties out onto a wire rack or paper towels for 1 minute. Serve hot resting over a bowl of warm prívarok with a crusty slice of bread, or chill for cold cuts.
Chef's Tip: Soaking stale bakery rolls in milk instead of just using dry breadcrumbs inside the meat mixture creates an airy, tender texture that stays juicy even after cooling down. These patties freeze raw on sheet trays and can be pan-fried directly from frozen.