This past month I’ve been doing a lot of work with potatoes testing out my halušky (potato dumpling) recipe. This left my refrigerator and pantry packed with ingredients. Which is ironic since grandma Anna’s stories of halušky were of a simple dish meant to sustain during lean times of scarcity. Now standing in my kitchen all I see is abundance and a hungry husband waiting for breakfast; time to get creative with all of these ingredients. What a lucky place to start.

This spring has been filled with overcast days, putting me in the mood for a hearty breakfast. My uncle and I chatted earlier and he recalled that growing up if grandma had leftover halušky she would fry them up with eggs and bacon. This recollection inspired me to take my potato stockpile and create the recipe for this cast iron breakfast casserole. Serve with eggs anyway you like. Personally, I love sunny side up. Might as well have sun somewhere in the morning on this rainy spring day.

Serves Approximately 6

Follow the recipe to make Halušky (Potato Dumplings)

3 Strips of Bacon (baked following package instructions)

1 cup Yellow Onions sliced

3 Garlic Cloves sliced

1/2 cup Sauerkraut

5 oz of Bryndza (sheep’s milk cheese)

2 teaspoons Paprika

3 tablespoons of Butter

Salt & Pepper to taste

1 dozen Eggs for serving

Green Onion sliced for garnish

Paprika for garnish

Instructions

Prepare the bacon, I prefer to bake them in the oven according to the instructions on the package.

While the bacon is baking, follow the halušky potato dumpling recipe posted on May, 20th 2019.

Sliced the onions and garlic, sauté in a 10″ cast iron fry pan using bacon grease if possible. Mix in the sauerkraut at the end to heat up.

Turn the broiler on high and move the shelf close to the heat source while still allowing enough room for the 10″ cast iron fry pan. In a bowl combine the cooked hot halušky, onion/garlic/ sauerkraut mixture, bryndza and paprika. Salt and pepper to taste and return to hot cast iron pan. Dot the top with butter and broil for 5-7 minutes until brown.

Serve with 2 eggs prepared any style that you prefer, I chose sunny side up.

Please note, if you’re working with cooked leftover potato dumplings heat them up before broiling. You can reheat them by submerging them into boing water in batches until hot. Another method is to fry them up in the cast iron pan in batches, in oil. I prefer the latter method. If you are reheating them using the cast iron frying pan method mix in the sliced onions, garlic, sauerkraut and cook together in batches.