Recipe of the week

This traditional Hungarian potato dish, often served with sausage, was taught to us by a home cook in the village of Zákányszék, said Diane Unger in Milk Street magazine. The broth features plenty of paprika, along with cumin, caraway, and onion.

Don’t use russet potatoes here, because they’ll fall apart. Red orYukon Gold potatoes, measuring about 2 inches in diameter, are best. As they simmer, “the spice-rich liquid reduces to yield a deeply flavorful sauce.”

Hungarian paprika-braised potatoes

2 tbsp lard or neutral oil • 1 large yellow onion, finely chopped • kosher salt and ground black pepper • 2½ lbs medium red or Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and quartered lengthwise • 3½ tbsp sweet paprika • 2 tsp caraway seeds, lightly crushed • 1 tsp ground cumin • ¼ tsp cayenne pepper • 2 tbsp finely chopped fresh dill

• In a large Dutch oven over medium, melt lard. Add onion and ½ tsp salt; cook, stirring often, until well browned, about 10 minutes. Stir in potatoes, then paprika, caraway, cumin, cayenne and 1 tsp salt, followed by 2 cups water. Bring to a simmer over medium-high, then cover, reduce to low, and simmer until a skewer inserted into potatoes meets just a little resistance, 15 to 18 minutes.

• Uncover and return heat to medium-high; cook, stirring gently to avoid breaking up potatoes, until liquid is saucy and a skewer inserted into potatoes meets no resistance, about 10 minutes. Remove pot from heat, cover, and let stand about 5 minutes to allow potatoes to absorb some liquid. Stir in dill, then taste and season with salt and pepper. Serves 6.