Potato paprikash • my grandma's recipe

It's quite simple meal and as the 'lecsó' this is another Hungarian classic. The 3rd classic one is the 'Stuffed paprika' wich will be obviously the next recipe after this one. No doubt: all of them are the summer and the early autumn season-classics in Hungary.

The cheap meats and cheap ingredients were always the basics and the foundtation of the old Hungarian cuisine. Sadly, the trends went to far to the different direction, to the premium ingredients nowdays, and people are buying more expesive ones, thinking that if it's simple and cheap, it can't be good quality.
I think this has to be changed.

This one is a really Sunday comfort food classic, from the cheapest ingredients ever.

As the base of this meal, we use lard again, not too much. This can create the most delicious thick sauce you've ever seen.

Ingredients • 500 g good quality potato (peeled and chopped), 1 tablespoon of paprika, 2 teaspoon salt, 1 medium size smoked chorizo, 1 small onion, 1 garlic (peeled), 1 medium tomato, quatered, 1 tablespoon lard, 1 tablespoon sunflower oil, 100 ml water

Method •

1) First let's create the paprika base. Heat a larger pot on medium low heat, add the lard and the oil. Chop the onion in small dices, de add to the pan, season with salt and fry till glassy. Meanwhile peele the potato, and cut in in quaters, the bigger quaters in quaters too.

2) Pull the pot off the heat, wait couple of seconds add the paprika, stir it well, add the water and stir again. Never-ever add the paprika on the heat, always off-the heat, otherwise it's going to be bitter.

3) Put it back, add the sliced chorizo, the tomato and the potato, crush the garlic into the pot, stir it, then cover it and cook for about 20 minutes, until the potato is soft, but not overcooked.

Serve it with a slice of good quality sourdogh bread.

Normally there is a thicker and ligher sauce version of this meal. If you want a thicker one, the last 10 minutes cook without the lid.

Tip: fry a bigger slice of smoked bacon on the lard and oil at the beginning for extra flavour.