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Creamy potato bake in a glass dish with celery and red pepper pieces
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Creamy Potato Bake (Cremiger Kartoffelauflauf)

A comforting and creamy potato bake layered with celery, paprika, and a rich homemade sauce — inspired by Grandma’s traditional recipe. Perfect as a hearty side or a simple main dish.
Course Main Course, Side Dish
Cuisine European, German
Keyword creamy, casserole, comfort food, potato, celery, paprika, homemade sauce, easy bake
Prep Time 35 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Servings 4
Calories 376kcal

Ingredients

  • 3 large potatoes
  • Salt
  • 3 stalks of celery
  • 1 small onion
  • 1 small red bell pepper
  • 3 tsp butter
  • 3 tsp flour
  • ¾ l milk
  • 50 g mayonnaise
  • Herb salt
  • Pepper
  • Cayenne pepper

Additionally:

  • Butter or oil for greasing the baking dish

Instructions

Prepare the potatoes:

  • Peel the potatoes and cut them into slices. Cook in salted water for about 15 minutes, until just tender.

Preheat the oven:

  • Set the oven to 180 °C (Gas 2, Fan 160 °C). Grease a baking dish.
  • Wash and slice the celery. Peel and dice the onion. Clean the bell pepper, remove seeds, and cut into small cubes.

Make the sauce:

  • Melt the butter in a saucepan. Add flour and stir until lightly golden. Gradually pour in the milk while whisking until smooth and thickened.

Season the sauce:

  • Stir in the mayonnaise. Season generously with herb salt, pepper, and a touch of cayenne pepper for gentle heat.

Assemble the bake:

  • Place half of the potatoes, celery, onion, and bell pepper in the baking dish. Pour over half of the sauce. Repeat the layers with the remaining ingredients and sauce.

Bake:

  • Cook in the hot oven for 30 minutes, until bubbling and lightly golden.
  • Serve hot as a side or warm for lunch with a salad.

Notes

Grandma’s Secret Tip

For a more filling version, Grandma often added 250 g diced cooked ham between the layers — perfect for using up leftover roast beef or pork.
For a vegetarian alternative, she sometimes sprinkled 2 chopped hard-boiled eggs over the potato and vegetable layers instead of meat.

Nutrition

Calories: 376kcal | Carbohydrates: 43g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 37mg | Sodium: 191mg | Potassium: 1078mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 1364IU | Vitamin C: 72mg | Calcium: 269mg | Iron: 2mg