Hungary · 90 min · Meat · Main course · For beginners
Rakott Krumpli
In German: Ungarischer Kartoffelauflauf · In English: Hungarian layered potato casserole
For 4 servings · US units
Potatoes, eggs and paprika sausage layered with sour cream and baked golden
Rakott krumpli is proper Hungarian grandmother cooking: sliced potatoes, hard-boiled eggs and paprika sausage stacked in a dish with sour cream and baked until the top takes on colour. Nothing fancy, nothing expensive — but once it comes out of the oven, everyone wants a square of it. Serve it with an extra spoonful of sour cream and something pickled on the side, and dinner is done.
Ingredients
- 1¾ lbpotatoeswaxy, boiled in salted water, peeled and sliced
- 6egghard-boiled (10–12 minutes), peeled, sliced
- 7 ozsliced, preferably a softer variety, for the fillingHungarian smoked pork sausage, heavily seasoned with paprika, mild or hot depending on the type.Substitute: Spanish chorizo comes closest, though it often tastes more strongly of garlic and oregano. Another smoked pork sausage with a little sweet paprika matches the colour but not the depth.Read more
- 10½ ozsour creamfor the layers and to finish the top
- 1onionfinely diced, sautéed until translucent
- 2 tbspoilfor frying and greasing the dish
- saltfor the cooking water, layers and sauce
- black pepperfreshly ground
- 1¼ cupsmilkfor a roux-based sauce (optional)
- 1¾ ozbutterfor the roux (optional)
- 2 tbspflourfor the roux (optional)
- 3½ ozSmoked cheesegrated, between the layers and on top (optional)
- nutmegground, for the sauce (optional)
- 2bell pepperdiced, for a lecsó base (optional)
- 4tomatosmall, diced, for the lecsó base (optional)
- parsleyfreshly chopped, to sprinkle before serving (optional)
Method
- Cook potatoes and eggsBoil the potatoes in salted water until tender. At the same time, hard-boil the eggs in a second pan for 10 to 12 minutes.
- Cool, peel and sliceCool the potatoes and eggs in cold water, then peel both. Cut the potatoes, eggs and paprika sausage into evenly thick slices — an egg slicer is ideal for the potatoes and eggs.
- Fry the sausageHeat a little oil in a pan and fry the sausage slices briefly until they colour. Lift them out and keep the fat that has rendered into the pan.
- Sweat the onionSweat the finely diced onion in the sausage fat until translucent.
- Make the sour cream sauceStir the sour cream smooth with salt and a splash of liquid, then mix in the softened onion. Season with pepper.
- Prepare oven and dishHeat the oven to 375 °F and grease a baking dish with oil, or brush it out with the sausage fat.
- Layer the casseroleLayer in half the potato slices, season with salt, scatter over the egg and sausage slices and spoon sauce on top. Repeat with the remaining ingredients.
- Top with sauce and cheeseFinish with the remaining sauce and, if you like, scatter grated smoked cheese over the top.
- Bake and let it restBake for around 30 minutes, until the surface is browned. Let it settle for a few minutes before cutting into portions.
Tips and variations
Instead of plain sour cream between the layers, you can make a bound sauce: a roux of butter and flour loosened with milk, then sour cream, pepper and nutmeg stirred in, with grated smoked cheese between the layers. For a juicier bake, toss the potato slices through the sour cream sauce rather than just spooning it over. Another good route is to cook onion, red onion, pointed peppers and tomatoes down lecsó-style and stir that into the sour cream. The purist version is simply sour cream thinned with salt and a little water. You can also parboil the potatoes only halfway and let them finish in the oven, and the sausage can go in raw instead of fried. Bring it to the table with extra sour cream, pickles and chopped parsley.
Allergens
Contains: Eggs, Milk (including lactose)
May contain if you use the optional ingredients: Cereals containing gluten
These notes follow from this recipe's ingredient list. Ready-made products and brands may contain further allergens — please check the packaging yourself.
Something not right?
This recipe was put together from independent sources and checked before publishing. Even so, a mistake can slip through — an amount that does not add up, a step that does not work as written. If you spot something, write to us: we will look into it and put it right.
