”Halushky” with bryndza cheese: European-style Mac and cheese
Brynzové halušky is considered the national dish of Slovakia. Halušky are small potato gnocchi resembling German spëtzel. Brynza (or bryndza) is a Slovak sheep milk cheese, available at Muncan Food Corp. If you decide to try these (and believe me, it’s worth it!), you will need a tool to make them. I saw one on Food52.com. You can also use the speatzel maker from Bed Bath and Beyond.
Equipment
- Spaetzle maker
Ingredients
- 500 g potatoes
- 250 g flour
- 1 egg
- 200 g brynza
- 200 g sour cream
- 1 onion optional
- 100 g bacon
- Spring onion or chives for garnish
- Black pepper optional
Instructions
- Fill a large pot with water and bring to boil.
- Cut bacon (and onion if using) into small dice. Sauté in a pan over medium heat until the onion is fried and bacon crispy.
- Mix the brynza cheese with the sour cream.
- Peel the potatoes and grate them finely into a bowl. (If you ever forget what you’re making and realize you grated your potatoes coarsely 🤦🏻♀️, run them through a food processor. It works even after you have added the flour and egg. I’ve done that once.) Add the egg and part of the flour and mix. Add flour to adjust the consistency. The batter should be pourable but thicker than a pancake batter.
- Put the spaetzel maker over the pot of boiling water and spoon a little of the batter over to try the consistency. Press it through the holes. Halushky are done when they float to the surface, which happens in just a few seconds. Transfer them into a large bowl with a slotted spoon.
- Add the cheese mixture to the halushky. Divide into deep plates or soup bowls, spoon bacon (and onion) on top and garnish with scallion greens or chives. I like some fresh black pepper.
Notes
Some recipes don’t call for an egg. Some use two types of flour common in Czech cooking, one is coarse and one is fine. With that said, you can make halushky without eggs if you happen not to have any or if you have an egg allergy.