Potatoes, sautéed sausage with onion, pickled cucumbers, and melted mozzarella create a hearty and flavorful combination. All the layers are brought together by a delicate sauce made from eggs, cream, and plain yogurt, seasoned with sweet paprika and dried garlic.
This baked dish is prepared easily in a single baking dish. The potatoes just need to be briefly pre-cooked, the sausage sautéed with onion, and then all the ingredients are layered step by step. The result is a filling dinner that can be served straight from the oven.
What You Will Need
- 1 kg potatoes,
- 1–2 onions,
- sausages,
- pickled cucumbers,
- 300 g grated mozzarella,
- 3 eggs,
- 2 tablespoons plain yogurt,
- 3 tablespoons cream,
- a little butter for sautéing,
- salt,
- pepper,
- 1 teaspoon sweet paprika,
- 1 teaspoon dried granulated garlic.
The original recipe does not specify the exact amount of butter, salt, or pepper, so adjust to taste. When boiling the potatoes, use one level tablespoon of salt as in the original instructions.
Step-by-Step Preparation:
1. Preparing the potatoes: Peel the potatoes and slice them. Transfer them to a pot, add one level tablespoon of salt, cover with water, put the lid on, and place on the stove.
2. Pre-cooking the potatoes: Once the water with the potatoes comes to a boil, reduce the heat and cook for about 10 minutes. Then drain the water and let the potatoes cool so they are easier to layer in the baking dish.
3. Sautéing the onion: Peel and slice the onion. Heat a little butter in a pan, add the prepared onion, and sauté for a few minutes.
4. Adding the sausage: Cut the sausage in half and add it to the pan with the onion. Sauté both ingredients together so their flavors combine.
5. Chopping the cucumbers: Cut the pickled cucumbers into small cubes. Set them aside, as they will be added to the individual layers along with mozzarella, sauce, and the sautéed sausage.
6. Preparing the sauce: Crack the eggs into a bowl, add the cream and plain yogurt. Season with salt, pepper, sweet paprika, and dried granulated garlic. Mix thoroughly until all ingredients are well combined.
7. First layer: Spread half of the pre-cooked potatoes on the bottom of the baking dish. Add some grated mozzarella, chopped cucumbers, prepared sauce, and sautéed sausage with onion.
8. Completing the layers: Place the remaining potatoes on top of the first layer. Again, add mozzarella, cucumbers, sauce, and sausage with onion. Finally, sprinkle the entire dish with the rest of the grated mozzarella.
9. Baking: Place the baking dish in an oven preheated to 180 °C. Bake for 40 minutes, during which the layers will meld together and the mozzarella on top will melt.
10. Serving: Remove the finished baked potatoes from the oven and divide into portions. Serve warm so the cheese layer stays nicely melted and the flavors of the sausage, onion, and pickled cucumbers stand out.
Why Pre-cook the Potatoes Briefly
The potatoes are boiled for about 10 minutes before being placed in the baking dish. Thanks to this step, they bake through better during the following 40 minutes in the oven, and the slices bind with the egg sauce.
After draining the water, let them cool. Cooler slices are easier to handle and can be spread more evenly on the bottom of the dish and in the second layer.
How to Properly Layer the Ingredients
Divide the potatoes into two parts and add cheese, cucumbers, sauce, and sausage with onion between them. Repeat the same ingredients in the second layer so they are evenly distributed throughout the dish.
Reserve some mozzarella for the very top. During baking, it will melt and create a cheesy topping, while the rest of the cheese inside binds the potatoes with the other ingredients.
Final Tip
Mix the sauce thoroughly before pouring it in so there are no separated parts of eggs, yogurt, or cream. When seasoning, remember that the sausage, pickled cucumbers, and mozzarella already add plenty of flavor to the dish.
