Hungarian Potato Pasta – Krumplis Tészta
Hungarian potato pasta is an easy traditional dish, budget-friendly, super simple and delicious. It is also called ‘grenadir mars’, however we mention only potato pasta in Hungarian homes. It is not an elegant dish, but a real comfort food that everybody loves. Traditionally it is made with home-made square pasta. It is a very cheap dish, often cooked at the end of the month when people’s budget for the month has been used up, but still had some potatoes, onions and dry pasta in the pantry.
How to make potato pasta?
You need fresh or dry square pasta, onion, potatoes, Hungarian paprika and ground black pepper. I do not boil the potatoes separately, I prefer cooking together with the onion and the paprika, this way the potatos absorb all the beautiful flavors. Prepare your pasta according to the instructions.
When the potatos is fork tender, mash them roughly with a potato masher or fork, then mix with the cooked pasta, sprinkle with ground black pepper. Make sure you have some pickles to serve with and you will also need lots of ground black peppers.
It is a no meat main course, even vegans can have it if you use no egg pasta.
What paprika to use?
Use Hungarian sweet paprika, never spicy. In Hungary we buy paprika from Szeged or from Kalocsa, I love both. I recommend purchasing real Hungarian paprika in your local deli or order online.
Make sure you do not burn your paprika. If you burn, it becomes bitter, the color will be brownish and you ruin the whole dish. Before you add the paprika to the sautéed onions, remove the pot from the heat, wait a 15-20 seconds, and then mix the paprika in.