Hungarian Style Potatoes

If you like your potatoes sliced thin and baked until they’re creamy and cheesy, you will love Hungarian style potatoes. I’ve based this recipe on the Hungarian version of scalloped potatoes, a casserole called rakott krumpli.

It shouldn’t be difficult to make potatoes, Hungarian or otherwise

I really, really wanted to make this with kielbasa (I know it’s not Hungarian), but was unable to find any with walking distance in Valladolid. I tried to substitute fresh chorizo even though the local stuff tends to turn into hard lumps if cooked too long. In addition, I cut the recipe in half to suit two people and cooked it in a loaf pan to accommodate the layers.

The first batch was a bit of a disaster. I was following this recipe from Tasty Kitchen. I parboiled the potatoes and ended up overcooking them but forged ahead anyway, layering my potatoes with hard boiled egg, caramelized onions, sour cream and cheese. The cook time was listed as an hour at 350°F which struck me as waaaaay too long. But even cutting the time in half, the hard boiled eggs took on an unappetizing rubbery texture.

This was in addition to the problems with the chorizo.

For the second batch I opted to go with a meat free version instead of compromising with chorizo. I also waited to add the hard boiled egg slices until near the end of cooking. The result was a much better dish, in my opinion and may be the solution to the chorizo conundrum.

Regardless of what type of sausage you use, be generous with the sour cream and cheese and you won’t go wrong.

Hungarian Style Potatoes

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Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour hour

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: Central Europe, Eastern Europe

Servings: 4

Author: LydiaF

Ingredients

• 2 hard boiled eggs peeled and sliced into rounds
• 1 medium onion sliced thinly
• 1 tablespoon olive oil + 1 tablespoon butter optional…steam/saute if you prefer
• generous pinch red pepper flake
• 4 – 5 fist sized potatoes peeled and sliced thinly
• 1 1/2 – 2 cups sour cream
• 1 cup or more shredded cheese I used a blend
• salt pepper and paprika to taste

Instructions

• Cook the eggs while prepping the onions and potatoes. (I cover them with water, bring it to a boil and turn the heat off. If you need them sooner, let them boil for 5 minutes before removing from the heat).
• Start the onions before you slice the potatoes. Saute the onions and red pepper flakes in the butter and olive oil. Use large skillet over high heat to start, then reduce the heat when they start to change color. Continue to cook on low heat for another 10 minutes or so.
• Use a mandoline to cut the potatoes about 1/4″ thick (or as thinly as you can with a knife). Place them in a large saucepan or dutch oven and cover with water.
• Bring to a boil and cook for 10 minutes or so until the potatoes have softened but aren’t quite cooked through. Drain and rinse with cold water.
• Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C and prepare a loaf pan with cooking spray.
• For three layers, use roughly a third of the potatoes, then a third of the onions and top with a third of the sour cream. Then add cheese and seasoning. Repeat for the other layers, making sure to reserve some of the cheese for the top.
• Bake for 20 minutes then add the sliced hard boiled eggs and the remaining cheese. Season again with salt, pepper and paprika. Bake for another 10 minutes or until the cheese has melted.
• Garnish as desired before serving.

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With all the cheese and sour cream this is a very rich dish as you can imagine. Even though it’s technically a side dish, we served it with broccoli and called it a meal.

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