Serbian Ground Beef, Veggie, and Potato Bake
My boyfriend lived in Serbia for 3 years and always begs me to recreate some of his favorite dishes. Based on his sketchy explanations and a little research into Eastern European spices, I concocted this hearty and slightly spicy bake with ground beef, paprika, and vegetables like celery and peppers. Great with a glass of red wine!
My boyfriend lived in Serbia for 3 years and always begs me to recreate some of his favorite dishes. Based on his sketchy explanations and a little research into Eastern European spices, I concocted this hearty and slightly spicy bake with ground beef, paprika, and vegetables like celery and peppers. Great with a glass of red wine!
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pinch ground cinnamon
- 1 green bell pepper chopped
- 3/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 tablespoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 1 cube beef bouillon
- 1 carrot, shredded
- 2 celery stalks chopped
- 1 pinch ground cloves
- 1/8 cup red wine
- 2 tablespoons half-and-half
- 2 potatoes, peeled and sliced
- Carbohydrate 31.2705483169193 g
- Cholesterol 96.8145779 mg
- Fat 24.6958713041402 g
- Fiber 2.32207130561333 g
- Protein 23.9959407797937 g
- Saturated Fat 10.7352652574534 g
- Serving Size 1 1 serving (260g)
- Sodium 115.29347485072 mg
- Sugar 28.9484770113059 g
- Trans Fat 2.98033782786375 g
- Calories 446 calories
Step-by-step
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Lightly grease a casserole dish.
- In a skillet over medium heat, cook the beef until evenly brown. Remove beef from skillet, reserving juices, and set aside. Mix in the olive oil, and saute the green pepper, onion, carrot, and celery until tender.
- Return beef to the skillet, and season with paprika, salt, black pepper, red pepper, cinnamon, and cloves. Stir in the water and red wine until heated through. Dissolve the beef bouillon cube into the mixture. Remove skillet from heat, and mix in the half-and-half.
- Layer the bottom of the prepared casserole dish with enough potato slices to cover. Place the beef and vegetable mixture over the potatoes, and top with remaining potatoes.
- Cook, covered, 45 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the potatoes are tender.
Throwing raw vegetables straight into a layered casserole without pre-cooking them releases excess water and turns the starches into a grey sludge at 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Controlling moisture determines whether the sliced potatoes roast or steam inside the casserole dish during that 45-minute bake. Fresh aromatics demand proper rendering in olive oil to concentrate flavors before they ever touch the oven.
- Sweat the chopped onions, carrots, celery, and green peppers until translucent to drive off surface water.
- Dissolve the bouillon cube completely in warm liquid before adding dairy to prevent salty pockets in the beef mixture.
- Slice potatoes to a uniform thickness of one-quarter inch so they soften simultaneously beneath the meat layer.
- Substitute chicken broth for red wine at a one-to-one ratio if avoiding alcohol, though acidity will drop.
Cover the baking dish tightly with foil during the first half of cooking to trap steam for tender tubers. Remove that cover during the final ten minutes if surface browning is desired on the top potato layer.
