I combined a friend's recipe with a few more traditional ones to try this for the first time. I wanted to try and get an authentic flavor. A lot of goulash recipes have tomatoes, green peppers, and other things that an authentic goulash should not contain (so I have found out). I used wolfgang puck beef stock because its high quality and doesn't have MSG in it. Overall I found the dish slightly bland...although the sour cream really did help with flavor. The pickles give it a niceness too, which I never would have thought. If I make it again I think I will add the marjoram and caraway seeds that my friends recipe called for (most others did not) because it may make the flavor stronger which would be nice. The traditional recipe also calls for beef chuck and to cook it for nearly 3 hours in a crock pot. I didnt want to wait that long, and the hamburg was ok. Next time I'll probably do it in the crock pot and use the beef chuck. I also used red potatoes because that is what I had on hand. But I think that yukons would work better.
Hungarian Goulash-beef and potato soup
1 1/2 pound ground beef or beef chuck
1 large onion, chopped
4 medium potatoes
3-4 tablespoons of Hungarian Paprika
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
3 cloves garlic minced
2 bay leaves
1 cup dill pickles, chopped
320z beef stock
oil
sour cream
Salt and Pepper to taste
1.
Put a large skillet or pot on medium heat
2. Add meat, oil, garlic and paprika and cook for 5-10 minutes
3. Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer for about a half hour, longer if using beef chuck.
4. When potatoes are soft, and meat is fully cooked. Serve with a dollop of sour cream.
