Hungarian-Style Shepherd’s Stew with Potatoes and Sausage

In Bokros, Hungary, home cook Erzsebet Buzder-Lantos taught us her favorite childhood dish, a hearty stew called keménytarhonya, also known as pásztortarhonya. The star ingredient is tarhonya, a pellet-like pasta. For our version, we use fregola, a type of Sardinian pasta, but pearl couscous is an easier-to-source alternative. Whichever you use, toast it until golden brown before simmering. This brings out the nutty, wheaty notes. As for the sausage, without easy-to-source Hungarian options, we use Cajun andouille, which has a spiciness and smokiness that pair well with the other flavors in the stew.