Potatoes, sautéed kabanos sausage, hard-boiled eggs, and a delicate milk base create a hearty sauce with creamy, smoky, and sweet-sour notes. This Olomouc classic is made in one pot from a few simple ingredients.
Preparation takes 15 minutes and cooking itself about 20–25 minutes, mainly depending on how quickly the potatoes soften. The recipe is very easy, and at the end, you just need to balance the flavor with sugar and vinegar. If you want an even bolder taste, you can also add finely chopped pickles.
What You’ll Need
For the sauce base:
- 5 medium potatoes,
- about 300 g of ham kabanos or other sausage,
- 2–3 hard-boiled eggs,
- bay leaf,
- 4 whole peppercorns,
- 4 allspice berries,
- water.
For thickening and seasoning:
- milk,
- plain flour,
- salt,
- vinegar,
- sugar,
- finely chopped pickles, optional.
The original recipe does not specify exact amounts of milk, flour, water, salt, sugar, vinegar, bay leaf, or pickles, so adjust them to your preferred consistency and taste.
Step-by-Step Preparation:
1. Boil the eggs: Boil the eggs until hard, let them cool, and peel them. Before adding to the finished sauce, cut them into small cubes.
2. Prepare the potatoes and sausage: Wash, clean, peel, and dice the potatoes into even pieces so they cook evenly. Slice the kabanos or other chosen sausage into rounds.
3. Sauté the sausage: Place the sliced sausage into a pot or deep pan and sauté. This step gives the sauce base a more pronounced smoky flavor.
4. Cook the potatoes: Add the prepared potatoes, bay leaf, salt, 4 peppercorns, and 4 allspice berries to the sautéed sausage. Pour in just enough water to cover all the ingredients.
5. Soften the potatoes: Cook everything for about 20–25 minutes until the potatoes are soft. Potatoes cooked together with sausage and spices will give the sauce a richer flavor.
6. Prepare the thickener: Thoroughly mix plain flour into the milk so there are no lumps. Adjust the amount based on how much liquid you have in the pot and how thick you want the sauce to be.
7. Thicken the sauce: Gradually pour the milk and flour mixture into the pot while stirring constantly. Mix well and simmer briefly until the sauce becomes smooth and thick enough.
8. Season: Stir the diced eggs into the finished sauce. Add salt, sugar, and vinegar to taste for a balanced sweet-sour flavor. Add the vinegar only at the very end after removing from heat and mix the sauce immediately.
9. Finish and serve: If you like, stir in some finely chopped pickles at the end. Serve the Hodolany sauce hot with a slice of fresh, crusty bread.
How to Adjust the Sauce’s Thickness and Flavor
Gradually add the milk and flour mixture while stirring the sauce. After a short simmer, you’ll see if the thickness is right. The original recipe does not specify exact amounts, so adjust based on the amount of liquid in the pot and your desired result.
Add sugar and vinegar to taste. The goal is a gentle sweet-sour flavor that complements the sausage without overpowering the milk base or spices.
Why Cook the Potatoes Directly with the Base
In this recipe, the potatoes are cooked directly with the sautéed sausage, bay leaf, pepper, and allspice. This way, the liquid absorbs more flavor during cooking and serves as the base for the whole sauce. Plus, you don’t need to use another pot.
