Cuisine: The Polish Palate
•
Course: Main Courses
•
Diet: Iron-Rich

Smażona Kaszanka z Cebulą (Pan-Fried Polish Black Pudding with Onions)

A hearty, rustic Polish staple of earthy, crumbled black pudding fried until crispy with sweet, caramelised onions.
Prep time 10m
Temp 160°C (320°F)
Cook time 20m
Total 30m
Yield 2
Per serving:
930 kcal
84g Carbs
37g Protein
49g Fat
By Adam Dworak

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Ingredients

  • 400 g
    Kaszanka (Polish black pudding)
    Kaszanka (Polish black pudding)
  • 300 g
    Brown Onion
    Brown Onion
  • 30 g
    Unsalted Butter
    Unsalted Butter
  • 2 g
    Salt
    Salt
  • 2 g
    Black Pepper
    Black Pepper
  • 4 slice(s)
    Rustic Bread
    Rustic Bread

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Kitchen Kit

  • Large Frying Pan
  • Chopping Board
  • Chef's Knife
  • Wooden Spoon
Sautéed onions and Kaszanka in a black cast iron skillet with a wooden spatula, steam rising.

Method

  1. Peel and slice the onions. Don't be precious about it, but keep the slices uniform so they cook evenly. Take a sharp knife, slice the kaszanka straight down the middle, and peel away the casings—bin them.
  2. Get a heavy-bottomed frying pan or cast-iron skillet over a medium heat. Drop in the butter and let it melt until it foams.
  3. Tip the sliced onions into the pan. Scatter the 2g of salt over them right now—this will draw out the moisture, stopping them from burning while helping them break down and caramelise. Cook for about 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they are soft, sweet, and a deep golden brown.
  4. Chuck the naked kaszanka into the pan with the onions. Use the edge of a wooden spoon or a sturdy spatula to bash it up into rough, rustic chunks.
  5. Let the mixture fry for another 5 minutes. You want the buckwheat to catch on the bottom of the pan and develop crispy edges. Don't stir it constantly; let it sit and build a crust for a minute or two, then flip and repeat.
  6. Finish with a generous crack of black pepper. Serve immediately, straight from the pan, with thick slices of rustic bread to mop up the rich, flavourful fats.
Chef's Note & Storage
Fridge for up to 3 days in an airtight container. Reheat gently in a dry frying pan over a medium heat to crisp it back up; using a microwave will make the grains soggy and the meat distinctly rubbery.
Fried Kaszanka with onions in a black cast iron skillet on a wooden surface.

The Breakfast of Champions: Smażona Kaszanka

A robust, no-nonsense Polish classic that separates the true trenchermen from the faint-hearted. Kaszanka—a brilliant, earthy blood sausage bound with buckwheat or barley—is a masterclass in using every part of the animal. When fried, the grains crisp up beautifully while the rich, iron-heavy pudding melts into a savoury delight. It’s humble, working-class food that punches well above its weight, especially when paired with a proper loaf of bread and a steaming mug of tea.

CHEF'S SECRET: Don't rush the onions. Let them sweeten properly in the fat before you chuck in the black pudding. The contrast between the sweet, jammy onions and the rich, salty kaszanka is what makes this dish sing. Keep in mind the "Hidden Salt" rule here: the pudding is already deeply seasoned and cured during the butchery process, so we only use our salt allocation to sweat the onions.

❖

The Texture Game

We are stripping the kaszanka out of its casing for this. You want the mixture to spill out and hit the hot pan directly. The goal is twofold: allowing the fat inside the sausage to render out and coat the onions, and giving the buckwheat grains a chance to catch on the cast iron, creating glorious, crispy little nuggets of flavour scattered throughout the soft, rich mash.

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Cook’s Notes & Discussion

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Smażona Kaszanka z Cebulą (Pan-Fried Polish Black Pudding with Onions)
Cuisine:The Polish Palate
Course:Main Courses
Diet:Iron-Rich

Smażona Kaszanka z Cebulą (Pan-Fried Polish Black Pudding with Onions)

By Adam Dworak

A hearty, rustic Polish staple of earthy, crumbled black pudding fried until crispy with sweet, caramelised onions.

Prep 10m
Temp 160°C
Cook 20m
Total 30m
Yield 2
Sautéed onions and Kaszanka in a black cast iron skillet with a wooden spatula, steam rising.

Kitchen Kit

  • •Large Frying Pan
  • •Chopping Board
  • •Chef's Knife
  • •Wooden Spoon
Per serving:
930 kcal
84g Carbs
37g Protein
49g Fat

Ingredients

  • 400 g Kaszanka (Polish black pudding)
  • 300 g Brown Onion
  • 30 g Unsalted Butter
  • 2 g Salt
  • 2 g Black Pepper
  • 4 slice(s) Rustic Bread

Method

Step-by-step instructions.

Chef's Note:
Fridge for up to 3 days in an airtight container. Reheat gently in a dry frying pan over a medium heat to crisp it back up; using a microwave will make the grains soggy and the meat distinctly rubbery.
Fried Kaszanka with onions in a black cast iron skillet on a wooden surface.
  1. Peel and slice the onions. Don't be precious about it, but keep the slices uniform so they cook evenly. Take a sharp knife, slice the kaszanka straight down the middle, and peel away the casings—bin them.
  2. Get a heavy-bottomed frying pan or cast-iron skillet over a medium heat. Drop in the butter and let it melt until it foams.
  3. Tip the sliced onions into the pan. Scatter the 2g of salt over them right now—this will draw out the moisture, stopping them from burning while helping them break down and caramelise. Cook for about 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they are soft, sweet, and a deep golden brown.
  4. Chuck the naked kaszanka into the pan with the onions. Use the edge of a wooden spoon or a sturdy spatula to bash it up into rough, rustic chunks.
  5. Let the mixture fry for another 5 minutes. You want the buckwheat to catch on the bottom of the pan and develop crispy edges. Don't stir it constantly; let it sit and build a crust for a minute or two, then flip and repeat.
  6. Finish with a generous crack of black pepper. Serve immediately, straight from the pan, with thick slices of rustic bread to mop up the rich, flavourful fats.

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History

The Breakfast of Champions: Smażona Kaszanka

A robust, no-nonsense Polish classic that separates the true trenchermen from the faint-hearted. Kaszanka—a brilliant, earthy blood sausage bound with buckwheat or barley—is a masterclass in using every part of the animal. When fried, the grains crisp up beautifully while the rich, iron-heavy pudding melts into a savoury delight. It’s humble, working-class food that punches well above its weight, especially when paired with a proper loaf of bread and a steaming mug of tea.

CHEF'S SECRET: Don't rush the onions. Let them sweeten properly in the fat before you chuck in the black pudding. The contrast between the sweet, jammy onions and the rich, salty kaszanka is what makes this dish sing. Keep in mind the "Hidden Salt" rule here: the pudding is already deeply seasoned and cured during the butchery process, so we only use our salt allocation to sweat the onions.

❖

The Texture Game

We are stripping the kaszanka out of its casing for this. You want the mixture to spill out and hit the hot pan directly. The goal is twofold: allowing the fat inside the sausage to render out and coat the onions, and giving the buckwheat grains a chance to catch on the cast iron, creating glorious, crispy little nuggets of flavour scattered throughout the soft, rich mash.