Rakott Krumpli

Ingredients

• 1¾ lbPotatoeswaxy, boiled in salted water, peeled and sliced
• 6Egghard-boiled (10–12 minutes), peeled, sliced
• 7 ozPaprika sausagesliced, preferably a softer variety, for the filling
• 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)
• 2pointed pepperdiced, for a lecsó base (optional)
• 4Tomatosmall, diced, for the lecsó base (optional)
• Parsleyfreshly chopped, to sprinkle before serving (optional)

Method

1. Boil the potatoes in salted water until tender. At the same time, hard-boil the eggs in a second pan for 10 to 12 minutes.
2. Cool 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.
3. Heat 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.
4. Sweat the finely diced onion in the sausage fat until translucent.
5. Stir the sour cream smooth with salt and a splash of liquid, then mix in the softened onion. Season with pepper.
6. Heat the oven to 375 °F and grease a baking dish with oil, or brush it out with the sausage fat.
7. Layer 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.
8. Finish with the remaining sauce and, if you like, scatter grated smoked cheese over the top.
9. Bake 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.