Traditional Slovak Haluski

Wicked Creations's Note:

This has been in my family for generations coming from Czechoslovakia. Traditionally, it is mixed with goat/sheep cheese from Czechoslovakia but since its not available here in the States, we use brick cheese or feta. We eat this as a main meal but can be served as a side.

• Total Time: 1 hrs
• Prep Time: 30 mins
• Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 8

• 1 cup flour
• 2 eggs (beaten)
• 4 potatoes (small, Peeled And Pureed)
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 lb bacon
• 2 cups brick cheese (shredded)
• salt and pepper

Directions:

1. For potato dumplings (Haluski):
2. In a medium bowl, mix flour, eggs, potato puree, baking powder, and salt together throughly – mixing it into a sticky dough. Set aside.
3. Take a large pot, fill it a little over half full with water and add a dash of salt to the water. Boil water on high heat.
4. On medium heat in a skillet, fry up the bacon till crisp and then remove bacon from the pan and allow it to drain on paper towels. Cool bacon and then crumble it. Set aside.
5. In the meantime, on a small cutting board ladle sized amount of Haluski dough(at a time) and with a knife, cut about 1 teaspoon sized pieces while holding the board over the boiling water and drop the dough into the water. You might want to do this in batches.
6. Let each small batch boil till dumplings are throughly cooked and floating to the top of the boiling water. (They sink when first dropped in). Repeat with another batch of dough until you’ve used it all.
7. Strain dumplings out of the water and add them to a large serving bowl. Sprinkle bacon crumbles, handful of brick cheese (or feta)at a time for each layer. Add next layer of dumplings and repeat the layering process as you finish cooking additional batches of dumplings.(approximately four times of layering).
8. When complete, take a large spoon and throughly mix Haluski with all of the other layers to incorporate all the ingredients thoroughly.
9. Serve as is or add Kielbasa on the side or slice up Kielbasa and mix it in with Haluski!
10. Optional toppings: Sauerkraut.
11. Serve with a warm crusty bread!