Name: Kiszka ziemniaczana: Polish potato sausage with smoked bacon
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 65 min
Total time: 150 min
Yield: 8 links / servings
Cuisine: Polish
Ingredients: 1,500 g floury potatoes, peeled and finely grated; 150 g smoked pork bacon, diced; 200 g yellow onion, peeled and finely diced; 3 l arge eggs, about 150 g without shells; 15 g plain wheat flour; 6 g fine salt; 2 g ground black pepper; 1 g dried marjoram; About 1.5 m salted natural pork sausage casing, rinsed and prepared according to its package directions; 10 g pork lard, for the baking sheet

A wide view of „Kiszka ziemniaczana: Polish potato sausage with smoked bacon“ arranged on a table for serving.

Yield 8 links / servings

Serving size about 220 g cooked

Difficulty moderate

Category Polish potato sausage; contains wheat/gluten and egg

Ingredients ↓

At a glance

Kiszka ziemniaczana: Polish potato sausage with smoked bacon

A savory Polish potato sausage filled with finely grated potato, smoked bacon, onion, egg and marjoram, then baked in natural casing until browned and firm.

Kiszka ziemniaczana is a Polish baked potato filling enclosed in natural pork casing. Its sausage-like shape sets it apart from babka ziemniaczana, the related potato mixture baked openly in a pan. This practical home-style version combines raw grated potatoes with cooked smoked bacon and onion, eggs, flour and marjoram.

There is more than one regional and household formula. Some documented Podlaskie versions include buckwheat or another grain, while other recipes combine potato with bacon, onion and flour. This version uses an egg binder and smoked pork bacon; it does not claim to represent every local or family tradition.

The casings need room to expand, so fill them loosely and pierce each link before it goes into the oven. Cook the bacon and onion first, then mix them through the potato filling. Bake until the casing is browned and the thickest link reaches 74 °C in the centre. Let the links rest briefly before serving so the filling settles for slicing.

Tips for a good result

Rinse and prepare salted natural casings according to the package directions; inspect them for tears before filling.
Drain the grated potatoes for 10 minutes and discard only the watery liquid; return settled white starch to the mixture if it separates.
Cook the bacon completely and soften the onion in its rendered fat before adding them to the raw potatoes.
Fill the casings only about two-thirds full so the filling has room to expand as it cooks.
Tie each link securely, then pierce it in several places with a clean fine needle to let steam escape.
Space the links on the baking sheet so hot air can brown the casing evenly.

Ingredients

1,500 g floury potatoes, peeled and finely grated
150 g smoked pork bacon, diced
200 g yellow onion, peeled and finely diced
3 l arge eggs, about 150 g without shells
15 g plain wheat flour
6 g fine salt
2 g ground black pepper
1 g dried marjoram
About 1.5 m salted natural pork sausage casing, rinsed and prepared according to its package directions
10 g pork lard, for the baking sheet

Method

Directions

Prepare the casings and ovenRinse and soak the salted natural casings according to the package directions. Keep them refrigerated until you are ready to stuff them. Preheat a conventional oven to 180 °C. Grease a rimmed baking sheet with the pork lard.
Cook the bacon and onionPut the diced bacon in a 30 cm skillet over medium heat. Cook for 8–10 minutes, stirring, until browned, fully cooked and rendered. Add the onion and cook for 6–8 minutes, until soft and lightly golden. Remove the skillet from the heat and let the mixture cool briefly.
Grate and drain the potatoesPeel the potatoes and finely grate them into a 5 L bowl. Transfer them to a fine-mesh sieve set over another bowl and drain for 10 minutes. Discard the watery liquid, keeping any white starch that settles at the bottom; scrape it back into the potatoes.
Mix the fillingAdd the eggs, flour, salt, pepper and marjoram to the potatoes and mix well. Stir in the bacon, onion and all the rendered fat until evenly distributed. Keep the filling chilled if you are not ready to stuff the casings immediately.
Fill and tie the casingsFit a casing over the sausage-stuffer tube or filling funnel and tie one end with kitchen string. Fill it loosely to about two-thirds full, pressing out large air pockets without packing the mixture tightly. Tie the other end and divide the casing into about 8 links, leaving a little room in each for expansion.
Pierce and arrange the linksPierce each link in several places with a clean fine needle or sterilized pin. Arrange the links with space between them on the prepared baking sheet.
Bake until browned and safely cookedBake for 65–90 minutes, until the casings are browned and the links feel firm. Insert an instant-read thermometer through the casing into the centre of the thickest link; the filling must reach at least 74 °C. If the casing browns too quickly, cover the links loosely with foil and continue baking until the centre is hot enough.
Rest and serveLet the links rest for 10 minutes so the filling settles. Serve hot, whole or sliced.

Nutrition per serving

Serving sizeabout 220 g cooked
Caloriesabout 300 kcal
Carbohydratesabout 37 g
Proteinabout 14 g
Fatabout 11 g
Fibreabout 4 g
Sodiumabout 655 mg

Estimate for one of eight links, based on generic food-composition data and including the listed pork lard. Casing weight is excluded. Bacon brands vary in fat and sodium, and potato moisture and rendered-fat loss affect the final values. Figures are rounded and are not laboratory analysis.

Allergens and food safety

Serving, storage, reheating and make-ahead: Serve hot from the oven, whole or sliced. Refrigerate leftovers in shallow containers within 2 hours, keeping them at 4 °C or below. Use within 3–4 days and reheat until the centre reaches 74 °C. Freezing is not recommended for this version as a quality choice; one documented Podlaskie product notes that its specific registered version does not freeze well, but that is not a universal rule for every formula.

Serving, storage, reheating and make-ahead: To get ahead, cook the bacon and onion up to one day in advance and refrigerate them promptly. Prepare the casing according to its package directions. Grate and mix the potatoes shortly before stuffing and baking to limit browning and liquid separation.

Contains wheat/gluten from the flour and egg. Check product labels for additional declared allergens. Keep the raw filling separate from ready-to-eat foods, and wash hands, utensils and surfaces after contact. Use refrigerated bacon and natural casing; prepare the casing according to its package directions. Cook the bacon fully before mixing it with the raw potato and eggs. Bake the filled links until the centre of the thickest one reaches at least 74 °C, measured with an instant-read thermometer. Refrigerate leftovers in shallow containers within 2 hours at 4 °C or below; use within 3–4 days and reheat to 74 °C.

Fill the casings loosely and pierce them before baking to give steam room to escape.

Check the centre of the thickest link with a thermometer; browned casing alone does not confirm doneness.

Kiszka ziemniaczana: Polish potato sausage with smoked bacon

Tips for a good result

Ingredients

Method

Nutrition per serving

Allergens and food safety

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