This recipe has been in our family for as long as I can remember. My mother has made it my whole life, and honestly, we’ve lost track of where she first got it. Now it’s our turn to carry it forward — so here it is, written down for good.
It’s the kind of appetizer that comes together quickly and without fuss: thin slices of ham wrapped around a creamy, tangy potato filling. It belongs almost anywhere — on a party platter, at a picnic, packed into a lunchbox, even at breakfast. You don’t know what you’re missing until you try them.
A note on the ingredients
If you’re shopping outside Romania, gogoșari may be unfamiliar – they are squat, thick-walled, deep-red sweet peppers, pickled in vinegar.
Where to find them: you can usually buy the real thing in Romanian grocery shops or in Balkan/Eastern European specialty stores (Bulgarian, Serbian, and similar), which are common across most of Europe. If you can’t find them: jarred roasted red peppers, pickled sweet red peppers, or piquillo peppers all work (drain them well). Skip anything labeled “hot” unless you want heat.
Ingredients
- 4 large ham slices (one vacuum-sealed pack of Dulano ham from Lidl)
- 3 medium potatoes
- 2–3 pickled peppers (gogoșari) in vinegar
- 2–3 tablespoons mayonnaise
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
Boil the potatoes in their skins, then drain and let them cool a little.
Peel the potatoes while they are still warm, then let them cool completely. Once cooled, cut them into small cubes.
Drain the pickled peppers well and cut them into cubes roughly the same size as the potatoes.
Mix the potatoes, peppers, and mayonnaise in a bowl. Adjust salt and pepper to taste, keeping in mind that the ham is already salty.
Place a few spoonfuls of filling on each ham slice and roll up tightly.
Keep the rolls chilled for at least 30 minutes before serving.
Notes
Potatoes are easiest to peel while still warm, but they cut much better once fully cooled.
Drain the pickled peppers well before adding them to the mixture. The filling will stay firm, and the rolls will hold their shape better.
We use ready-made jarred mayonnaise, and we do it on purpose — don't be alarmed. It's pasteurized, and we find it safer than homemade mayo made with raw supermarket eggs. Use whichever you trust; the recipe works either way.