жаркое в горшочке (Roast in a pot)
Pronounced zharkoe v gorshochkah, this is a very easy and versatile dish. It usually has potatoes and meat, but unlike other stews with a fixed ingredient list. The slavic “roast in a pot” is just that, anything you want in a pot with a closed lid and roasted in the oven.
Ingredients
- 250 gr Beef or Pork
- 2 Potatoes
- 1 tsp Dill
- 1 tbsp Parsley
- One chopped carrot
- ½ cup of chopped cabbage
- Salt and pepper to taste
Optional:
- 1 onion chopped
- 2 cloves of garlic minced
- 1 tbsp Sauerkraut
- 1 sliced smoked sausage
- Sour cream topping
- 1 small bay leaf per pot
- Hard cheese grated on top
Preparation
First add the meats in a heavy pot with about half a liter of water to make a broth. You can add the onions and potatoes now as well so they are ready for step two. Cook them untill the meat is tender and the broth tastes right.
Next turn on the oven… Grab your ceramic pot and soak it in hot water, these pots break easy and temperature shocks might crack them right open spilling your precious stew. When the earthware is hot remove the water and fill it up to the half with the vegetables, put the harder veggies like carrots on the bottom and then layer with a bit of parsley or dill and add the next vegetable.
When the pot is half full add the meat, make sure you pack it in there nice and tight. Only when you have reached the lip of the pot may you add the broth.
Some people like to put the meat at the bottom, which is weird in my opinion, but I’m not Slavic so what do I know. If you are going to add cheese, grate it on top of the meat before putting it in the oven.
Whatever you do do not stir it or the magic spell will be lost forever.
Now it is time to put the pot in the oven, set it in there and let t do its magic for about 30 minutes, you can leave it longer just check that it always has enough broth.
Finally take the pot out of the oven and add some decorations as a surprise when it is uncovered at the table, you can serve sour cream in a side dish to be added at your guests discretion.
This stew will make about two pots like the one shown on the picture above. One pot is enough for one stewlover. Enjoy!