Potato Pancake with Goulash (Placek po węgiersku)
Placek po węgiersku Say it: PLAH-tsek poh ven-GYER-skoo
Placek po węgiersku is a Polish answer to hunger: one big, lacy-edged potato pancake folded around a thick, paprika-red beef goulash and finished with a cool spoonful of sour cream. Despite the name, the 'Hungarian' part is only the paprika-scented stew, borrowed across the border and lodged for good in Polish taverns and milk bars. The pancake stays crisp under the sauce, the goulash is rich and faintly sweet from the peppers, and the cold sour cream pulls it all together. Hearty, cheap and quietly brilliant.
Potato Pancake with Goulash (Placek po węgiersku)
Placek po węgiersku
Pronounced PLAH-tsek poh ven-GYER-skoo
- Serves
- 4
- Prep
- 30 min
- Cook
- 1 hr 30 min
- Total
- 2 hr
- Level
- Medium
Also nut-free.
Allergens: contains gluten, milk, egg. Check labels on packaged ingredients.
Ingredients
Amounts are scaled. Cooking times and pan sizes stay the same.
Goulash
Potato pancakes
To serve
Method
Start the goulash. pat the beef cubes dry and season them lightly with salt. Heat the oil in a heavy pot over medium-high heat and brown the beef in two batches, about 4 minutes each, until deeply coloured on all sides. Move it to a plate.
Lower the heat to medium, add the sliced onions to the same pot and cook for 6–8 minutes, stirring, until soft and golden at the edges. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant.
Pull the pot off the heat, stir in the sweet paprika, hot paprika and tomato paste and mix for 20 seconds — paprika turns bitter if it burns. Return the beef and any juices, add the stock, caraway seeds, bay leaf, salt and pepper.
Bring to a bare simmer, cover and cook gently for 60–75 minutes, until the beef is fork-tender. Uncover and simmer for a further 10 minutes, until the sauce is thick enough to hold its shape on a spoon. Taste and adjust the salt; keep warm.
Make the pancake batter. grate the potatoes and onion on the finest side of a box grater. Tip into a clean kitchen towel and squeeze hard over the sink until barely any liquid drips out — this is what keeps the pancakes crisp.
In a bowl, mix the squeezed potato-onion pulp with the eggs, flour, salt and pepper. Stir only until combined; the batter should be thick and slightly sticky.
Heat 3 tbsp (45 ml) of the oil in a 10-inch (25 cm) skillet over medium-high heat. Ladle in a quarter of the batter (about 1 cup/240 ml) and spread it into a thin 8-inch (20 cm) pancake with the back of a spoon.
Fry for 3–4 minutes, until the underside is deep golden and the edges are crisp and lacy, then flip and fry 2–3 minutes more. Drain on paper towels and keep warm in a low oven. Add fresh oil to the pan and repeat with the remaining batter to make 4 pancakes.
To serve, slide each pancake onto a warm plate, spoon a quarter of the goulash over one half, and fold the other half over the top. Add a generous spoonful of sour cream and scatter with chives.
Regional variant: Placek po węgiersku zapiekany (baked with cheese)
Tavern versions fill the pancake with the goulash, fold it, lay it in an ovenproof dish, scatter 1 cup (100 g) of grated cheese — traditionally a Polish yellow cheese such as gouda or a sharp cheddar — over the top and bake at 400°F (200°C) for 12–15 minutes, until the cheese bubbles and browns. Sour cream is served on the side rather than spooned over.
Cook's notes
- Squeeze the grated potatoes really dry and mix the batter just before frying — a watery batter gives pale, soggy pancakes.
- Use fresh sweet paprika from a recently opened tin; old paprika loses the colour and aroma that define the dish.
- Keep the fried pancakes in a single layer in a 200°F (95°C) oven rather than stacking them, so the crisp edges survive.
Serve with
A crisp green salad or a scoop of sauerkraut salad, and a cold light beer or a glass of dry red wine.
Make ahead and storage
The goulash improves a day ahead and keeps refrigerated for 3 days; reheat gently with a splash of stock. Fry the pancakes fresh, or refrigerate them for up to 1 day and re-crisp in a hot dry pan.
