My saucy Hungarian red potato goulash is like a hug, and just the comfy-cozy meal to warm up with on a cold evening. Prepared with just a handful of flavorful yet simple ingredients such as red potatoes, juicy beef smoked sausage, sliced caramelized onions, garlic, and lots of paprika, this rustic red potato goulash recipe is simmered up and ready to dig into in no time, to wonderfully warm the belly!
Red Potato Goulash to Warm the Soul
Being raised by two immigrant parents from Slovakia (my mom having Hungarian ancestry on her father's side), simple, comforting, home cooked food was pretty much always available.
While my mom did most of the cooking, my dad was a darned good cook as well, and both of them really loved to use their imagination to prepare dishes which harkened back their own childhood, using their own flair, flavors and technique to suit their tastes.
And when I think back to some of the most memorable and cozy dishes from my childhood, two dishes in particular come to mind for me...
The first is the richly fragrant and deeply flavorful, from scratch chicken soup that my mom (or even my dad on occasion) would prepare on a cold day for us to have to ladle up for a few days.
And the second most memorably cozy dish was my mom's saucy, Hungarian-style red potatoes...mmm, mmm...
These deliciously warming red potatoes would be what my mother would prepare, pretty much without fail, while that beloved chicken soup simmered, as they would always be the deliciously savory accompaniment to the chicken from that broth.
While my mom's red potato goulash had only potatoes, onions and paprika all in a tasty sauce, I'm using her recipe as inspiration here to make more of a complete, one pan meal by adding in slices of juicy, beef smoked sausage.
Like my parents, I love to use my imagination and flair to create a dish inspired by another, and this recipe for my saucy Hungarian-inspired red potato goulash is my offering to warm the soul on a cold evening.
It's love in food form, inspired by something my ancestors would prepare, using simple ingredients brimming with flavor and comfort!
My Recipe for Saucy Hungarian Red Potato Goulash
What everyone loves about this recipe is how much flavor and delicious comfort this dish yields, with relatively few ingredients, and not much time needed for the cooking process.
It's about creating layers of flavor and building them, to create lots of richness, smokiness and depth, and lots of yummy sauce to sop up with warm bread, which is always a fantastic and favorite accompaniment!
It all begins with the beef smoked sausage. You can use your own favorite brand, or even substitute pork, turkey or chicken sausage if you prefer, which is caramelized until deeply browned for more flavor, with the yummy bits left over on the bottom of the pan creating even more added flavor to this recipe.
Onions are then added and allowed to caramelize and become sweet and earthy, along with garlic, spices, and finally the sliced red potatoes, as well as some chicken stock to create that rustic sauce once the dish has simmered.
It is truly simple, rustic comfort food that not only warms the belly and makes tastebuds happy, but feels like the best form of home cooking.
Here's a sneak peek at my saucy Hungarian red potato goulash recipe: (or just jump to the full recipe...)
- To get started, I caramelized my beef smoked sausage in a deep, heavy bottom pan (roughly a 3 quart Dutch oven) until caramelized and browned, then remove it from the pan.
- Into the drippings I add in the sliced onions and caramelize those for a few moments, then add in my aromatics, followed by my sliced, red potatoes.
- Next, I add in chicken stock and cook the dish until the potatoes are tender, some even breaking apart, thickening the sauce to make it velvety.
- To finish the red potato goulash, I add back in my seared smoked sausage, parsley, and an additional drizzle of olive oil to enrich the dish.
- I serve with warm, crusty bread on the side for dipping into the sauce.
Recipe
Saucy Hungarian Red Potato Goulash
by Ingrid Beer
Print Recipe
This saucy Hungarian red potato goulash is brimming with beef smoked sausage, red potatoes and caramelized onions in a savory, rustic sauce!
Category: Entree
Cuisine: Eastern European
Yield: Serves 6
Nutrition Info: 598 calories per serving
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 35 minutes
Total time: 55 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1 (14 ounce) package beef smoked sausage, sliced on the bias into thin medallions
- Olive oil
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 onions, quartered and thinly sliced
- 2 garlic clove, pressed through garlic press
- Salt
- ¾ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- 10 medium-size red skin potatoes (about 2 ¾ pounds), peeled and sliced into ½ inch thick circles
- 1 ½ cup chicken stock
- 1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley
Preparation:
- Begin by gathering and prepping all of your ingredients according to the ingredient list above to have ready and organized for use.
- Place a large, deep, non-stick pan (or even medium non-stick pot) over medium-high heat, and add in about 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Once the oil is hot, add in the smoked sausage medallions, and caramelize them for a few minutes until they become a deep brown color. Remove the sausage from the pan with a slotted spoon, and set aside.
- To the same pan or pot, add in the butter along with another 1 tablespoons olive oil, and allow them to melt together. Add in the sliced onions, and caramelize those in the butter/oil and sausage drippings until a rich, golden-brown, about 8 to 10 minutes.
- Next, add in the garlic, plus a couple of pinches of salt, the freshly cracked black pepper, the paprika and smoked paprika, and stir to combine with the onions. Saute just until the garlic becomes aromatic.
- Then, add in the sliced potatoes, and fold them into the caramelized onions/garlic to coat them well. Add in the chicken stock and stir to combine, then push the sliced potatoes down into the stock/onion mixture as much as possible to allow them to cook evenly.
- Cover the pan or pot with a lid that is askew to allow some steam to escape, and simmer on medium-low heat for about 15 minutes, stirring gently once or twice during this time. Then, uncover and allow the potatoes to continue to simmer for another 10 minutes, or until they are tender and the sauce a bit thickened, stirring once or twice during that time. (It's perfectly fine for some of the potatoes to break up in the sauce as it helps to thicken it, just take care not to break them too much.)
- Finish the goulash by adding the caramelized smoked sausage back into the pan or pot, as well as the parsley, and gently fold those in to incorporate. Add a little drizzle of olive oil in, and add a couple more pinches of salt and pepper, if necessary.
- Serve with warm, crusty bread, if desired.
Tips & Tidbits for my Saucy Hungarian Red Potato Goulash recipe:
- Beef smoked sausage, or your preferred type of sausage: I love classic beef smoked sausage here, but you can substitute pork, turkey or chicken sausage if you'd like. A smoked sausage is best for this recipe, as it adds rich flavor and pairs well with the paprika.
- Waxy, red potatoes for creamy texture: Waxy potatoes are the best for this recipe, as they aren't quite as dry and starchy as russets, which can suck up the sauce a bit too much. I use red potatoes here, and peel them, then slice into roughly ½ inch thick circles, but you can use yellow potatoes with success as well.
- Prepare the red potato goulash ahead for more flavor: As is the case with just about every stew, soup or goulash, you can prepare this recipe ahead and allow it to sit for a couple of days before tucking into to it, for deeper, richer flavor. The ingredients have the chance to meld together a bit for a day or two, which makes this dish taste even more delicious!
Craving more comfy-cozy goulash or stew recipes? Check out this Beef Goulash, this Chicken Stew, this Harvest Stew with Smoked Sausage, this Pork Stew, or this Philly Cheesesteak Stew!
Cook's Note: This recipe was originally published in 2013, and has been updated with even more love!
