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Krumplifőzelék
Potato paprika stew
Krumplifőzelék: Hungarian potato stew in a soured-cream and paprika roux
Every Hungarian school canteen and büfé from Debrecen to Győr has a pot of krumplifőzelék on the counter at lunchtime, ladled into deep plates and topped with a fried egg or a few slices of fasírt for those who want meat. Cubes of potato cook soft with bay leaf, then a roux of onion, flour and sweet paprika turns the cooking water into a velvety orange sauce, sharpened with a drop of vinegar and rounded off with sour cream. It sits between a soup and a side dish, which is exactly what főzelék means. Chef's tip: take the pan off the heat before you add the paprika; it scorches in seconds in hot fat and turns bitter.
- Total time
- 40 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the potatoes
- 2 lb floury potatoespeeled, cut into 2 cm cubes
- 3 ¼ cups water
- 1 ½ tsp salt
For the roux
- 3 tbsp sunflower oil
- 1 onionvery finely chopped
- 2 tbsp plain flour
- 2 tsp sweet Hungarian paprika
To finish
- 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
- 5 ½ oz sour cream
- ¼ tsp black pepper
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Put 2 lb floury potatoes in a wide pan with 3 ¼ cups water, 2 bay leaves and 1 ½ tsp salt; the water should only just cover them. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 15–18 minutes until a knife slides through but the cubes still hold their shape.
18 minStep 2: Meanwhile heat 3 tbsp sunflower oil in a small pan over a medium-low heat and cook 1 onion for 5 minutes until soft and pale gold. Stir in 2 tbsp plain flour and cook for 1 minute, stirring, until it smells nutty.
6 minStep 3: Pull the pan off the heat, stir in 2 tsp sweet Hungarian paprika, then whisk in a ladle of the potato water until smooth.
1 minStep 4: Pour the roux into the potatoes and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring gently, until the sauce thickens and coats a spoon. Crush a few potato cubes against the side to make it creamier.
5 minStep 5: Remove the bay leaves. Stir in 1 tbsp white wine vinegar and ¼ tsp black pepper, then whisk 3 tbsp of the hot sauce into 5 ½ oz sour cream before stirring it back in; adding cold sour cream straight to the pot is the usual mistake that makes it curdle. Heat through without boiling and serve with a fried egg on top.
2 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 310 kcal
- Protein
- 6 g
- Carbs
- 42 g
- Fat
- 13 g
- Fibre
- 5 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does krumplifőzelék take?
- About 40 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 30 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- What can I use instead of floury potatoes?
- Sweet potato, same weight (sweeter, cooks a little faster).
- What can I use instead of bay leaves?
- Leave it out, or a pinch of dried thyme (it's a background flavour).
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