Potato Paprikash (Paprika Potatoes)

The secret of the perfect, authentic potato paprikash (a.k.a. paprika potatoes) lies in the quality of ingredients, and not in the cooking technique. See my 5 tips below this recipe on how to make your perfect potato paprikash with sausage.

Please make sure you read my article about Hungarian sausage, if you’re not familiar with it. You’ll also find some tips how to get it online.

Potato Paprikash Recipe With Sausage

This potato paprikash recipe serves 4.

1. Begin by preparing the ingredients. Peel, wash and dice potatoes – cut them into approx. 3/4 inch (2 cm) cubes, then store them in water to prevent from browning. Finely chop an onion. If possible, peel your sausage, cut in half lengthwise, then cut into approx. 2/5 inch (1 cm) pieces.
















You can easily peel your sausages. Hold them under hot water for about 10 seconds (hot tap water will do), then put them under cold running water for 10 seconds. Repeat the process (hot then cold water again). Cut the skin with a sharp knife and you can peel it off easily.

2. Heat oil or lard in a medium-size pan.

Read my thoughts about the topic of lard vs. oil below the recipe.

3. Add chopped onions. Cook over high heat for about 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they become translucent.



4. Add sausage. Continue sautéing for 3-4 minutes over a high flame, stirring occasionally. Let your sausages release their fat.



5. Add paprika.

The exact quantity of paprika depends on several factors. First, it’s a matter of taste. Second, it depends on how much paprika your sausages contain. You can make a perfect potato paprikash even without adding paprika. In general, use about a teaspoon for this amount of potatoes.

6. Add potatoes. Don’t add water at this point yet.



7. Mix thoroughly. Cook over high flame, stirring occasionally, for 3-4 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.
8. Add just enough water to cover the potatoes. You’ll need approximately 2 cups (450-500 ml).

I used exactly 2 cups of water (475 ml) when preparing this potato paprikash.






9. Bring it to a boil over a high flame. Turn the heat down once it’s boiling to medium heat.
10. Cook for about 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Your potato paprikash is ready when the potatoes become soft and they start falling apart while stirring. Cook for another 5 minutes, stirring once in a while, so the scraped off potatoes thicken the sauce.
11. Potato paprikash is best served with fresh white bread. Sour cream and pickles also go well with it.

Different Types of Potato Paprikash

There is a wide variety of potato paprikash recipes in Hungary, pretty much everyone has their own. Other then those personal variations, you can find different recipes with different ingredients that are added to the potatoes.

The sausage version is one of the most popular ones, and I think it’s the best. But it can be prepared only with potatoes – without anything extra added. It is often prepared with frankfurters or galuska.

The 5 Secrets of Making The Perfect Potato Paprikash

Potato paprikash being an extremely simple dish, its secret is not its cooking technique but the ingredients you use. Read my tips to make a perfect potato paprikash.

1. The quality of your sausage.  Actually it is the sausage that gives the flavors to your potato paprikash. Use high-quality, dry-aged sausages seasoned with paprika. See my tips on how and where to buy Hungarian Sausage.




2. The quantity of your sausage. This is also about how cheap your dish is, and half this quantity can also make a good potato paprikash. All I can say is that the more sausage you use, the better your potato paprikash will turn out to be.
3. Lard. It adds extra flavors to your dish, if you use high-quality lard instead of oil. Duck fat or goose fat are both excellent choices. Believe me it makes a difference – in the positive sense! And using lard in your food is not unhealthy at all.




4. The type of potato used. The only thing you have to keep in mind is to use potatoes that fall apart. If not, they won’t thicken your sauce, leaving you with rather some kind of potato soup instead of potato paprikash.
5. Overcooking. In general I won’t advise you to overcook your food, but potato paprikash is an exception. It’s exactly the overcooking (those extra 5 minutes), when your potatoes start falling apart and thickening your sauce, what makes a really good and authentic potato paprikash.

Hungarian name: Paprikás krumpli

Potato Paprikash (Paprika Potatoes)

Balazs

4.25 from 4 votes

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 35 minutes mins

Total Time 55 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine Hungarian

Servings 4 servings

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 2 1/4 lbs. (1 kg) potatoes
• 1 large onion finely chopped (about a cup)
• 1/2 lb. (250 g) dry Hungarian sausage, see tips in recipe
• 1 1/2 tbsp lard or oil
• 1 tsp. paprika
• salt
• pepper

Instructions

 

• Peel, wash and dice potatoes – cut them into approx. 3/4 inch (2 cm) cubes, then store them in water to prevent from browning.
• Finely chop an onion. If possible, peel your sausage, cut in half lengthwise, then cut into approx. 2/5 inch (1 cm) pieces.
• Heat oil or lard in a medium-size pan.
• Add chopped onions. Cook over high heat for about 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they become translucent.
• Add sausage. Continue sautéing for 3-4 minutes over a high flame, stirring occasionally. Let your sausages release their fat.
• Add paprika.
• Add potatoes. Don’t add water at this point yet.
• Mix thoroughly. Cook over high flame, stirring occasionally, for 3-4 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.
• Add just enough water to cover the potatoes. You’ll need approximately 2 cups (450-500 ml).
• Bring it to a boil over a high flame. Turn the heat down once it’s boiling to medium heat.
• Cook for about 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Your potato paprikash is ready when the potatoes become soft and they start falling apart while stirring. Cook for another 5 minutes, stirring once in a while, so the scraped off potatoes thicken the sauce.
• Potato paprikash is best served with fresh white bread. Sour cream and pickles also go well with it.