How to Make Hungarian Potato Casserole (Rakott Krumpli)
A Taste of Hungarian Cuisine
Hungarian cuisine is so special to me. I remember cooking authentic dishes with my mom and having so much fun. This Hungarian potato casserole is called rakott krumpli, which literally means layered potatoes, and it’s my husband’s favorite Hungarian meal. It’s typically served as a main dish for dinner, but you can definitely have it for breakfast or as a side dish. You only need 5 ingredients and a little bit of prep work, and you’ll have a super yummy casserole that the whole family will enjoy.
Making Hungarian Potato Casserole (Rakott Krumpli)
All of the prep work pretty much happens simultaneously. Start by placing your potatoes in a large pot with lightly salted water. Boil for about 20 to 30 minutes until the potatoes are soft but not mushy. Drain the potatoes and set them to the side.
While the potatoes boil, place the eggs in a medium pot and fill with just enough water to cover the eggs. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for 15 minutes. After simmering, immediately move the eggs to an ice bath.
Begin sautéing the whole kielbasas while waiting for the eggs and potatoes to boil. When the sausages are browned, remove them from the pan and cut them into semicircles. Return to the pan and continue sautéing until crispy.
Slice potatoes into 1/2″ rounds. The potatoes may fall apart because of how soft they are, and that’s okay. Try and keep them as together as possible. Then peel and slice the eggs using an egg slicer or a knife. Using an egg slicer is the most convenient, efficient way to get uniform slices, so I recommend doing it that way.
Preheat your oven to 400ºF and grease an 8″ x 11″ baking dish. Start the base layer with a third of the potato rounds, slightly overlapping potato slices if you want to. Make sure you salt and pepper each potato layer. Then spread half of the sausages on top of the potato layer. Place half of the egg slices on top of the sausage layer.
In a big bowl, mix the sour cream with some water to make it easier to spread. Start with 3 to 5 tablespoons of water and add more as needed to get the right consistency. Top the egg layer with half of the sour cream mixture.
Make sure you save a third of the potatoes for the final layer. Then repeat a potato layer (making sure to season with salt and pepper before moving on), the remaining sausage for the next layer, and the remaining eggs for the final layer. Spread the remaining sour cream on top of the egg layer, and top with the remaining potato rounds. So you should have 3 potato layers, 2 sausage layers, 2 egg layers, and 2 sour cream layers. Top the casserole with the shredded cheddar cheese. Bake at 400ºF for 30 to 45 minutes, until cheese is melty and golden.
Serve and enjoy!! Let me know if you make this recipe and how it turns out. Check out this shepherd’s pie recipe for another delicious casserole.
*This post contains affiliate links. I will receive a small commission for purchases made through those links, at no additional cost to you.*
Hungarian Potato Casserole (Rakott Krumpli)
Equipment
- 8" x 11" baking dish
- Egg slicer
- Pan
- Cutting board
- Knife
- Strainer
- Bowl for ice bath
Ingredients
- 8 eggs, hard boiled
- 12 Yukon gold potatoes, boiled
- 20 ounces Kielbasa sausage
- 12 ounces shredded cheddar cheese
- 24 ounces sour cream
- 3 to 5 tablespoons water, enough to make sour cream more spreadable
- salt, to taste
- pepper, to taste
- ice, for ice bath
Instructions
- Place potatoes in a big pot, cover with water, and boil until soft but not mushy – about 20 to 30 minutes – then drain.
- While potatoes boil, place eggs in a pot and fill with enough water to cover them. Bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer for 15 minutes. After simmering, move eggs to an ice bath immediately.
- Sauté whole kielbasa sausages until brown and crispy. Once browned, remove from pan and cut sausages into semicircles. Return cut sausages to pan and sauté again until browned all over.
- Slice potatoes into 1/2" rounds. It's okay if the potatoes fall apart as you slice them, just keep them as together as you can.
- Peel eggs and use an egg slicer or knife (egg slicer is easiest) to slice the eggs into rounds.
- Grease an 8" x 11" baking dish. Begin placing a third of the potato rounds into the baking dish in a single layer, slightly overlapping each potato slice. Be sure to season the potato layer with salt and pepper before moving to the next layer.
- Next, layer half of the sausage on top of the potato layer.
- Then spread half the eggs on top of the sausage layer.
- Mix sour cream with enough water to make the sour cream more spreadable and creamy. Start with 3 to 5 tablespoons, and add more as needed. Spread half of the sour cream mixture on top of the egg layer.
- Repeat the potato layer, seasoning with salt and pepper and leaving a third left for the last layer, then the rest of the sausage, and the rest of the eggs. Spread the remaining sour cream on the egg layer.
- Finish the casserole by layering the remaining potato rounds and seasoning with salt and pepper. Top with shredded cheddar cheese.
- Bake at 400°F for 30 to 45 minutes, until cheese is melty, bubbly, and golden.
