The Hungarian Kitchen: Paprikás krumpli (paprika potatoes)

After coming into possession of a sack of Michigan home-grown red potatoes as payment from a relative for humoring him and dealing his computer woes, my mind has turned to what, besides possibly making vodka, I could do with all these spuds.

Back in my years in Budapest, one of my favorite meals for when money was tight (and even when it wasn't) was this straightforward, but flavorful and belly-warming paprika and potato stew called krumpli paprikás, "paprika potatoes" or "potatoes paprikash." This is a very common dish to see at the traditional lunch counters (étkezde or kifőzde) throughout the city. Like any traditional dish, it is subject to many variations, but at its core, it starts with the usual paprika-and-onion base like in many of the other Hungarian recipes I've detailed here, and works up from that.

Paprikás krumpli ingredients
2 lb potato (waxy types preferred, cut into finger-sized slices.)
2 oz bacon (preferably slab bacon), diced
4 oz smoked sausage (a semi-dry smoked Hungarian or Polish sausage works best), sliced
1-2 sweet peppers, roughly cut
1 medium-to-large onion, diced
1 tablespoon Hungarian sweet paprika
1 teaspoon caraway seeds (optional)
1-2 tomatoes or 1 tablespoon tomato paste
salt, pepper to taste


First, your basic ingredients:


Dice the bacon, cut the sausage into thin slices, and fry in a little lard or sunflower oil over medium-high heat until starting to get crispy and bacon fat is rendering. My preferred type of sausage to use here is a semidry type of smoked sausage. The Hungarian smoked sausage at Paulina Meat Market is ideal. I used an Andy's Deli Polish sausage. Add diced onions and cook until translucent:



Take pan off heat, add paprika, caraway seeds (if using), and stir to incorporate well:



Add potatoes cut into finger-sized slices and roughly cut-up peppers (about one inch square). Also add tomatoes:



Cover with water and bring to boil over medium-high heat. If using tomato paste, mix it in with the water you're adding. You'll also want to season with a little bit of salt at this point. I estimate using about 1/2 - 1 teaspoon, but remember your bacon and sausage will be contributing salt to the dish.


Cook uncovered until potatoes are cooked through and sauce has thickened a bit, about 20-25 minutes. You really shouldn't need to move the potatoes around too much during this time.



Serve, add salt and pepper to taste (finish with a dollop of sour cream if you'd like):



There's many variations on this. You don't need to use sausage. You can add one or two cloves of minced garlic. It can be as simple as onion + paprika + potatoes. You can add a little more water and add some boiling sausages/frankfurters at the potato stage. I've seen recipes with additional vegetables like carrots, etc. You can cut the potatoes up into cubes if you prefer.

I do like to add a bit of hot red pepper flakes or paste (either Erős Pista or sambal oelek) to finish. I've always found this a very soul-satisfying dish, with its carby comfort, reinforced by an oniony, paprika, bacon & sausage backbone.

hell yeah. I really enjoy this series of recipes from you.

Nice, Binko, as ever.

Could I use red Bells instead of green?

What's your skillet? Looks rather like a cast iron....

Geo

AlekH wrote:hell yeah. I really enjoy this series of recipes from you.

Thanks! That means a lot to me.

Geo wrote:Nice, Binko, as ever.

Could I use red Bells instead of green?

What's your skillet? Looks rather like a cast iron....

Geo

Yes, any peppers will do. I used two thirds of a cubanelle here, because that's what I had in the house. You can even skip the pepper if you'd like. It is not at all unusual not to use any peppers at all for this recipe. Most of the stuff I'd get at the lunch counters was pretty simple: just onions, potatoes, and paprika, with maybe a bit or bacon fat or lard. I like the slightly meatier version of this dish.

Oh, and yes, that's just a 14-inch cast iron skillet. I think it's a Lodge. Got it about ten years ago when I moved back to the US.

Tnx for the quick reply Binko.

The reason I asked re: the skillet is that I've heard so many warnings about not using cast iron for stuff with tomatoes in the sauce, I was a bit surprised to see you using what looked like cast iron.

And of course one reason I like this recipe is that I've got several deli's in Montréal where I can get the bacon and sausage.

Geo

Once your cast iron is well-seasoned, cooking tomatoes or any acidic foods now and again is not going to affect it (and this dish doesn't have a lot of tomato). See here. I also wash it fairly regularly (when necessary) with soap.

Oh, yes, and speaking of Montreal and delis, I do remember the Hungarian charcuterie on St-Laurent (I believe it was just called Charcuterie Hongroise)--they had wonderful Hungarian sausages that would be perfect for this dish.

Geo wrote:Tnx for the quick reply Binko.

The reason I asked re: the skillet is that I've heard so many warnings about not using cast iron for stuff with tomatoes in the sauce, I was a bit surprised to see you using what looked like cast iron.

And of course one reason I like this recipe is that I've got several deli's in Montréal where I can get the bacon and sausage.

Geo

Lynn Rosetto Casper interviewed an expert on cast iron skillets. He stated that the warning against using tomatoes in cast iron is a myth. He stated that he would probably not use cast iron in a recipe with tomatoes that cooked for many hours, but that in a normal recipe the tomatoes cannot hurt a properly seasoned pan. He also stated that mild soap will not hurt the pan.