Potato babka: recipe for a national Belarusian dish

Potato babka in the oven is a very tasty and satisfying dish, which is nothing more than a potato casserole made from grated potatoes. It is generally accepted that potato babka is an old Belarusian dish, although this kind of casserole is present in Russian, Ukrainian, Polish, Lithuanian and Moldavian cuisine. In Lithuanian cuisine, potato-based vegetable casserole is called kugel or kugeles.

Traditional old Belarusian potato babka or baba, as it was also called, was cooked in an oven in a clay pot. To the grated potatoes they added a large amount of fried meat and lard, onions - young or onions, eggs, homemade sour cream, and mushrooms. In summer these were fresh mushrooms, and in winter they were dried. For thickness, cereal or flour was added.

Today you can find a large number of recipes for potato babka. If it used to be cooked in an oven, today it is most often cooked in the oven. They can also be baked in the microwave or slow cooker.

Before we move on to the recipe and see how to cook potato babka in the oven step by step with photos, I would like to say a few words about the possible toppings for the dish. In addition to eggs, flour, lard (lard), bacon or brisket, you can also add hard or pickled cheese, herbs, sausage, boiled eggs, minced meat, and milk to the potato mixture.

Many products can be replaced in recipes or not added at all. For example, during Lent you can prepare Belarusian potato babka with mushrooms, without lard and eggs. In this case, it will turn out to be lean and dietary, and to keep it in shape, you just need to add a little more flour.

As for frying, it is, of course, better to use smoked brisket instead of fresh lard; thanks to such cracklings with the aroma of smoked meats, the potato babka will turn out more tasty.

Today I want to offer you three recipes for making potato babka in the oven. The first recipe is potato babka with bacon in the oven, the second recipe will be dietary and lean, and according to the third recipe it will be cooked with minced meat.

Ingredients:

• Fresh potatoes - 1 kg.,
• Onion - 1 pc., or 2 small ones,
• Bacon or raw brisket - 200 gr.,
• Mushrooms - 200-300 gr.,
• Eggs - 2 pcs.,
• Wheat flour - 3/4 cup,
• Spices and salt - to taste,
• Vegetable oil for greasing the mold

Classic recipe

Today, breeders have developed different varieties of potatoes that are red, purple, and even blue, but the specimens with a green tint were created not by scientists, but by nature itself. The use of such tubers containing the poison solanine is strictly prohibited.

What ingredients will you need?

For the traditional preparation of potato babka, you will need the components indicated in the table:

Step-by-step cooking process

Sequence of cooking steps:

1. Initially, you need to cut the brisket into small cubes. To do this quickly and easily, it is advisable to place the product in advance for 15–20 minutes. into the freezer.
2. The onion needs to be peeled, then finely chopped.

3. Now you need to heat a little sunflower oil in a frying pan and fry the pieces of brisket in it until golden brown.
4. After this, add ½ onion slices to the meat and continue the process until the vegetable mass is ready.
5. Next, you need to peel the potatoes, rinse and dry the tubers with napkins, and then coarsely grate the vegetables.
6. Season the resulting mixture with salt and pepper, add an egg and a pinch (up to 10 g) of sifted flour.
7. After thorough kneading, the resulting mixture should be placed in a cauldron or baking dish, lightly compacted, and scatter pieces of butter on top.
8. Then you need to send the workpiece for 45–50 minutes. into an oven heated to 180 °C, after which the main component of the dish will be ready for use.
9. In the meantime, you need to start creating the sauce. To do this, you need to heat a mixture of both types of oils in a saucepan, then sauté the remaining chopped onions in them.
10. When the vegetables become soft, add 1 tbsp. l. (30 g) flour.
11. The resulting composition must be thoroughly mixed, seasoned with salt and pepper, add sour cream, chopped garlic, chopped herbs, sweet paprika, pour in ¼ tbsp. drinking water.

All that remains is to mix the aromatic mass well, then heat it in a water bath for about 10 minutes.

What can I add?

It is recommended to supplement the dish with a variety of products - mushrooms, minced meat, lard, milk, fish, different types of meat, as well as shavings of grated cheese. It is recommended to select the ratio of fragrant plants according to personal tastes.

Rules for serving dishes, decoration

Potato babka (the recipe in the oven can be adjusted according to your own preferences) should stand for 5–7 minutes when ready. in the oven, after which the food should be placed on a serving plate, poured with fragrant sauce, and the treat should be served. It is advisable to decorate the dish with sprigs of dill or parsley.

Belarusian “Potato babka”

Ingredients for “Belarusian Potato Babka”:

• Brisket (with a beautiful layer) - 300 g;
• Onions - 2 pcs;
• Wheat flour / Flour - 1 tbsp. l.;
• Salt (to taste);
• Potatoes - 1-1.5 kg;
• Sour cream.

Recipe for “Belarusian Potato Babka”:

Peel the potatoes, grate them (do not drain the liquid!!!), add flour and salt.

Finely chop the brisket. Fry.

Peel the onion and chop fairly large. Fry until golden brown in fat from the brisket.

Stir in the brisket and onion (drain off the fat).

Add the brisket with onions to the potato mixture and stir.

We take a baking dish (ideally a cast iron), I use pots, grease with the fat remaining after frying, lay out our potato mixture, cover with lids.

Place the pots (or... whatever you used))) in the oven for 45 minutes at a temperature of 200-220 degrees. Then remove the lids, and another 15 minutes to get the most amazing golden brown crust)))

Take it out of the oven, pour it with sour cream – and………. Let's have fun!))) Bon appetit)))

In the oven

When modern kitchen appliances replaced the rustic oven, the process of preparing potato babka became much easier and faster, and the components of dish recipes became more diverse.

Preparation next.

What ingredients will you need?

To create a treat you will need:

• vegetable oil;
• boiled pearl barley porridge - 1.5 tbsp. l.;
• potatoes - 500 g;
• lard - 100 g;
• onion - 1 pc.;
• egg - 1 pc.;
• sour cream - 1 tbsp. l.;
• salt, pepper - at your discretion.

Step-by-step cooking process

Order of execution of the recipe:

1. First you need to peel raw potatoes and leave the tubers in drinking water so that the product does not darken.
2. Next, you need to peel the onion, chop it finely, then sauté the vegetable until golden brown.
3. Pearl barley porridge should be prepared in advance, as it will take about 3 hours (including the period of soaking the cereal).

4. When the onion becomes soft, you need to finely grate the tubers, put the mass in a deep bowl, add the contents of the frying pan, eggs, and boiled pearl barley to the container.
5. The resulting composition must be salted and peppered, mixed well, and then placed in a greased springform pan. The thickness of the placed layer should be no more than 4–5 cm.

Decorated products should be sent for 50–60 minutes. into an oven heated to 200 °C.

Rules for serving dishes, decoration

Potato babka is a self-sufficient food that goes well with vegetables, so this treat can be served as a full second course or a hearty side dish for fish or meat.

Potato babka recipe in the oven in pots

Cooking time: 1 hour 30 minutes. Number of servings: 6. Kitchen appliances and equipment: scales, frying pan, colander, gauze, pots, oven, fine grater or food processor.

Ingredients

• Potatoes 1.50 kg
• Onion 4 pcs.
• Brisket 0.20 kg
• Salt to taste
• Milk 1 cup.
• Vegetable oil as needed
• Pepper to taste

Preparation:

1. Cut the brisket (0.20 kg) into small cubes. Place the brisket in the pan. Let it simmer, just stir occasionally.
2. Peel 3 onions and cut into small cubes. Peel 3 onions and cut into small cubes
3. Add a little salt and pepper to the brisket.
4. Add the onion to the lard, add a little vegetable oil if necessary, fry until golden. Add the onion to the lard, add a little vegetable oil if necessary
5. Peel and grate one and a half kilograms of potatoes (if available, you can use a food processor), and grate the onion here. Peel and grate one and a half kilograms of potatoes onto a fine grater
6. Cover the colander with 2 layers of gauze, place the potatoes on it, squeeze it out a little. Cover the colander with 2 layers of gauze, place the potatoes on it
7. Measure the amount of squeezed potato juice. We add exactly this amount of milk to the potatoes (about a glass, depending on the quality of the potatoes), or a little less. We measure the amount of squeezed potato juice
8. We also add the brisket with onions. Mix the mixture thoroughly, achieving homogeneity. Add the brisket with onions
9. Now put the mixture into pots. You don’t need to add the potatoes all the way to the top, given that the mixture will boil. Cover the pots with lids. Cover the pots with potato babka with lids.
10. Place the pots in an oven preheated to 200?C. If you have small portioned pots, it will take about 40 minutes, and for liter pots – about an hour. Video recipe for potato babka in the oven in pots

In a slow cooker

Using a popular kitchen aid will not only reduce cooking time, but also make food as tasty and healthy as possible.

What ingredients will you need?

To create the dish you will need:

• ghee;
• onion - 1 pc.;
• lard - 100 g;
• potatoes - 800 g;
• egg - 1 pc.;
• premium flour - 25 g;
• salt, pepper, herbs - to taste.

Step-by-step cooking process

Description of preparation steps:

1. First, you need to peel the potatoes, then you need to coarsely grate the tubers, season the mixture with salt and pepper.

2. Now you need to add the egg and sifted flour to the resulting mixture, after which you need to mix the mass well.
3. Next, you need to free the onion from the husk, then finely chop the head, put the vegetable slices in a frying pan with heated oil.
4. At the same time, you need to chop the bacon into small cubes, add them to the container with the vegetable, fry the food until golden brown, then combine the mixture with the grated tubers, mix everything thoroughly.
5. At the next stage, place the resulting potato and onion mixture into the multicooker bowl, then pour melted butter over it.

The product must be cooked for 30 minutes, setting the device to the “Baking” mode.

Rules for serving dishes, decoration

The hot treat should be kept in the slow cooker for several minutes, after which the dish should be served, garnishing the food with chopped parsley or dill.

Recipe for potato babka with lard in a slow cooker

Cooking time: 1 hour 30 minutes. Number of servings: 6. Kitchen appliances and equipment: scales, frying pan, fine grater, multicooker.

The amount of ingredients is relative - you can use potatoes or lard at your discretion. If you don’t like lard, you can simply not use it.

Ingredients

• Potatoes 1.50 kg
• Onion 2 pcs.
• Lard 0.30 kg
• Salt to taste
• Vegetable oil to taste
• Egg 2 pcs.
• Pepper to taste

Cooking potato babka in a slow cooker

1. Peel and grate one and a half kilograms of potatoes. Peel and grate the onion in the same way and put it in the potatoes.
2. Finely chop another onion. Finely chop the onion
3. Finely chop 300 grams of lard and fry in a frying pan. As soon as the fat begins to separate, add onion to the lard and fry. Finely chop 300 grams of lard and fry in a frying pan.
4. Combine lard and potatoes.Combine lard and potatoes
5. Beat 2 eggs into the potato mixture. Beat 2 eggs into the potato mixture
6. Salt to taste, pepper, stir well.Salt potato babka to taste, pepper, stir well
7. Transfer the mixture into the multicooker container. There is no need to lubricate the bowl. Only if you do not put lard in the babka, you can grease it with a little butter.
8. Only if you do not put lard in the babka, you can grease it with a little butter. Only if you do not put lard in the babka, you can grease it with a little butter.
9. Set the “baking” mode for 1 hour 20 minutes. Set the “baking” mode for 1 hour 20 minutes
10. At the end of the process, turn off the multicooker and leave the dish covered for another hour.

In a pot

Potato babka (the oven recipe is designed for baking food in clay containers) in its cooking method resembles the process of creating stewed food common in Russian cuisine.

Potato granny. One Pot Recipe.

Preparation next.

What ingredients will you need?

To complete the recipe you will need:

• vegetable oil;
• brisket - 400 g;
• eggs - 2 pcs.;
• sour cream - 200 g;
• premium flour - 120 g;
• onion - 4 pcs.;
• potatoes - 2 kg;
• garlic cloves - 2 pcs.;
• salt, pepper, herbs - to taste.

Step-by-step cooking process

Sequence of preparation steps:

1. First, you need to cut the brisket into small cubes, place the product in a frying pan preheated with oil, then fry the meat in a hot mixture.
2. When a golden crust forms on each piece, place the peeled and finely chopped onion into a container, then continue the process until the vegetable slices become soft.
3. Next, you need to peel the potatoes, coarsely grate the tubers, then add the meat mixture, egg, and chopped garlic to them.
4. The resulting mixture must be seasoned with salt and pepper, mix the mass thoroughly, and then spread it into clay/ceramic pots.
5. To give the future food special tenderness, each serving should be topped with not very thick sour cream.
6. Decorated containers should be sent closed for 30 minutes. into an oven heated to 190 °C.
7. In 5–7 minutes. Before the end of the specified baking period, the pots should be opened to brown the food well.

Rules for serving dishes, decoration

Present the treat to the table in a hot state. Sprigs of fresh herbs will be an element of elegant food decoration.

Recipe Potato babka without meat. Calorie, chemical composition and nutritional value.

Nutritional value and chemical composition of "Potato babka without meat."

The table shows the nutritional content (calories, proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals) per 100 grams of edible portion.

The energy value of Potato babka without meat is 114.4 kcal.

Primary Source: Created in the application by the user. Read more.

** This table shows the average levels of vitamins and minerals for an adult. If you want to know the norms taking into account your gender, age and other factors, then use the “My Healthy Diet” application.

In a frying pan

Potato babka can be cooked in a frying pan, resulting in an equally appetizing and aromatic dish.

Preparation next.

What ingredients will you need?

To create a treat you will need:

• sunflower oil;
• pork - 800–900 g;
• onions - 3–4 pcs.;
• carrots - 1 pc.;
• egg - 1 pc.;
• salt, pepper - according to preference.

Step-by-step cooking process

Sequence of cooking steps:

1. First you need to peel and grate the potatoes. The product should be crushed using small cutters of a kitchen device, which will make the vegetable composition as homogeneous as possible. The juice that appears should not be squeezed out.
2. The resulting mass must be seasoned with salt (1 teaspoon) and pepper, add an egg to the product, then mix the combined components of the future dish well.
3. At the next stage, you have to peel the onion and chop it into strips.
4. Peeled carrots should be prepared in the same form.

5. Next, you need to cut the pork into thin strips, fry the pieces of product in preheated sunflower oil.
6. When the meat is covered with a golden brown crust, you need to add chopped vegetables to it, then continue the process until the products are completely ready.
7. Now you need to salt and pepper the meat mixture, then combine it with the potato mixture.

All that remains is to mix everything thoroughly, pour a little oil into the frying pan, put the resulting mass in a container, and fry it for 15 minutes. over low heat, covered.

Rules for serving dishes, decoration

The hot treat should be transferred to portioned plates and served at the table along with soy sauce or whole milk.

With lard

Potato babka, cooked in the oven according to the presented recipe, includes not only crumbly tubers, but also juicy onions along with tender pieces of lard.

What ingredients will you need?

To create food you will need:

• ghee;
• whole milk - 100 ml;
• onions - 2 pcs.;
• high-quality lard - 150 g;
• potatoes - 500 g;
• salt, pepper - at your discretion.

Step-by-step cooking process

Description of preparation steps:

1. First you need to cut the lard into small cubes and place it in a frying pan with heated oil.
2. Peel the potatoes and divide the tubers into quarters.
3. One onion needs to be cut into the same parts, the other head needs to be cut into rings.

4. When the meat pieces are browned, you need to add chopped onion to them and fry it together with the pork until soft.
5. Next, you need to coarsely grate (process in a food processor) vegetables (potatoes and onions), divided into quarters, then pour whole milk into the resulting mixture, add the contents of the frying pan to the mixture.
6. The resulting mass should be salted and peppered, mixed thoroughly, then placed in a fireproof form. The best cookware for baking is considered to be a cast iron pot.
7. The filled container should be left for 45 minutes. covered in an oven preheated to 180°C.

To obtain a delicate golden crust on the surface of the food, you should finish baking open.

Rules for serving dishes, decoration

It is recommended to leave the prepared food for 5–7 minutes. in a switched off oven, then serve the dish along with homemade sour cream or the desired sauce.

What is the dish served with?

The finished babka is served hot with sour cream or sour cream and mushroom sauce. Babka with pork, fresh mushrooms, prunes, fried onions and even red fish turns out to be very original and tasty. And the dish prepared with different types of cheese is simply delicious.

Don’t be afraid, try to add something new and tasty to your babka. Experiment, try, you will succeed. You can cook potato babka in the oven, slow cooker and in a frying pan. Bon appetit everyone!

With mushrooms

Potato babka, which includes forest boletus, often diversifies the home menu of a Belarusian family. The presented recipe, which is especially in demand during the Dormition Lent, has its own twist - dried pears.

What ingredients will you need?

To prepare the dish you will need:

• sunflower oil;
• premium flour - 20 g;
• dried pear - 1 pc.;
• blueberries - 50 g;
• potatoes - 750–800 g;
• mushrooms (only boletus mushrooms are used) - 100 g;
• sour cream - 30 g;
• onion - 1 pc.;
• salt, pepper, herbs - optional.

Step-by-step cooking process

Sequence of preparation steps:

1. The first step is to cut the dried fruits into small pieces, then soak them in drinking water and leave them in this form for 2-3 hours.
2. Then you need to drain the liquid and blot the product with paper napkins.
3. Now you need to finely grate the peeled potatoes, then mix the mixture with sifted flour.
4. Next, you need to peel the onion, chop it into cubes, and then sauté the vegetable pieces in oil until golden brown.

5. At the next stage, it is necessary to combine all the processed components of the future dish in a bowl, season the composition with salt and pepper.
6. All that remains is to mix the resulting mass well, place it in a cast iron pot or baking dish, and grease the surface of the layer with fresh sour cream.

The completed workpiece must be sent within 45 minutes. into an oven heated to 180°C.

Rules for serving dishes, decoration

The cooked food should be served hot, dividing the potato babka into desired portions. You can decorate the presented dish with cheese shavings or sprigs of parsley/dill.

How to cook potato babka in the oven

To bake potato babka in the oven, you need to grate one kilogram of potatoes by hand, using a regular grater.

To prepare lean potato babka you will need:

• 2–3 - small bulbs;
• 250 grams of dried pears;
• 150 grams of fresh or frozen blueberries;
• salt;
• sunflower oil - about 70 grams.

Dried pears give babka a special taste and aroma. Before preparing Belarusian potato babka, they are soaked in water. This is done so that they become soft.

With minced meat

Potato babka (a recipe in the oven may include a filling of ground pork, lamb, beef, chicken or mixed products) will turn out especially tasty if it contains a fatty meat component.

What ingredients will you need?

To prepare the food you will need:

• ghee;
• carrots - 4 pcs.;
• onions - 4 pcs.;
• potatoes - 800 g;
• minced meat - 800 g;
• eggs - 4 pcs.;
• salt, sugar, herbs - at your discretion.

Step-by-step cooking process

Sequence of cooking steps:

1. First of all, you need to peel and wash the vegetables, then chop the onion into not very small cubes so that the minced meat is as juicy as possible.
2. Potatoes and carrots should be grated and placed in separate containers.
3. Processed vegetables (except for chopped tubers) need to be sautéed in melted butter, then add ½ of the roast to the minced meat, and the same amount to the potato mixture.
4. Both compositions should be seasoned with salt and pepper, then the prepared products should be thoroughly mixed.
5. Now you need to grease a baking sheet, place ½ of the potato component on a metal sheet, place the minced meat above, and use the remaining potato mixture as the final layer.

The resulting workpiece should be placed in an oven heated to 200 °C for 1 hour.

The dish is ready.

Rules for serving dishes, decoration

Baked food should only be eaten hot with your favorite sauce, garnished with chopped herbs.

With turkey

Using poultry instead of pork or lard will make the food less fatty, more tender and juicy.

What ingredients will you need?

To prepare the dish you will need:

• oil (olive or sunflower) - 30 ml;
• egg - 1 pc.;
• turkey fillet - 350–400 g;
• premium flour - 60 g;
• potatoes - 1.2 kg;
• onions - 2 pcs.;
• salt, allspice - to taste.

Step-by-step cooking process

Description of preparation steps:

1. First you need to do the filling. To do this, you need to peel and chop the onion into cubes.
2. Now you should finely chop the poultry meat, then you need to add chopped vegetables to it, then season the minced meat components with salt and pepper, mix the composition well.
3. At the next stage you have to make the vegetable dough, for which you need to grate the peeled tubers, lightly squeeze the mass, then mix it with the egg, salt, pepper and sifted flour.
4. Next, you need to combine the meat and potato mixture, then mix the resulting mass thoroughly, and then transfer it to an oiled baking sheet.

Now you need to put the sheet with the workpiece for 1 hour in an oven preheated to 190 °C.

Rules for serving dishes, decoration

Potato babka should be served in portioned dishes, garnished with fresh herbs.

With pork

Potato babka, the recipe for which is baked in the oven and is based on the inclusion of tender and juicy meat with layers of fat, is one of the most popular national dishes.

Preparation next.

What ingredients will you need?

To prepare the food you will need:

• sunflower oil;
• eggs - 2 pcs.;
• potatoes - 1 kg;
• onion - 200 g;
• pork with layers of lard - 200 g;
• salt, pepper, herbs.

Step-by-step cooking process

Sequence of preparation steps:

1. Initially, you need to cut the meat into small pieces, peeled onions need to be chopped into half rings.
2. Now you need to fry the pork in a small amount of oil.
3. When the pieces of meat acquire a golden hue, add onion slices to them, then continue the process until the vegetable is soft.
4. Next, you need to peel the tubers, then grind the product on a grater or in a food processor.
5. At the next stage, you need to place the potato mixture in a large duck pot, add eggs and fried meat with onions to the mixture.
6. The resulting mixture must be salted and peppered, and the composition must be carefully mixed.
7. After this, close the container and leave it for 1 hour 30 minutes. into an oven heated to 200 °C.

Before the end of the cooking process, the dishes must be opened so that the surface of the food is well browned.

Rules for serving dishes, decoration

The treat should be presented to the table on portioned plates, garnishing the food with fresh vegetables or homemade pickles.

With bacon

This meat product is prepared from special breeds of pigs, fed in special, truly “royal” conditions. That's why salted or smoked bacon has a special aroma and delicate taste.

What ingredients will you need?

To complete the recipe you will need:

• sour cream (fat content 20%) - 30 g;
• potatoes - 1 kg;
• egg - 1 pc.;
• bacon - 2-3 thinly sliced ​​strips;
• onion - 1 head;
• salt, pepper - according to preference.

Step-by-step cooking process

Sequence of cooking steps:

1. First you need to cut the meat into small pieces, then you need to put them in a dry frying pan, fry the product until it gets a golden crust.
2. Cool the hot pieces of bacon before placing them on paper towels to remove excess fat.
3. Now you need to peel the onion and chop it into cubes up to 1 cm in size.
4. Next, you need to sauté the pieces of vegetable until soft in a frying pan with the fat remaining after cooking the bacon.
5. At the next stage, you need to grate the peeled potatoes, lightly squeeze the resulting mass from the juice, then add an egg, pour in sour cream, add fried onions and meat, and season the mixture with salt and pepper.
6. The resulting mixture must be thoroughly mixed, then placed in an oiled form or distributed in the same order into small portion containers.

Completed blanks should be sent for 20–30 minutes. into the oven preheated to 180°C.

Rules for serving dishes, decoration

The presented dish should be served hot along with homemade sour cream, garnishing the portions with finely chopped herbs.

Potato babka

Ingredients:

1. Potatoes 2 kilograms;
2. Chicken egg 1 piece;
3. Salt to taste;
4. Sour cream 20% fat content 2 tablespoons;
5. Ground black pepper to taste;
6. Large bacon 2-4 strips;
7. Large onion 1 piece.

Preparation of Belarusian potato babka:

Place the bacon on a cutting board and, using a knife, cut the ingredient into small pieces.

After this, put the frying pan on medium heat without adding vegetable oil. When the pan is hot, lower the heat to medium and carefully place the chopped bacon into the container with clean, dry hands. Stirring the component from time to time with a wooden spatula, fry the bacon until it becomes golden brown and crispy. Then, turn off the burner and set the pan aside to allow the bacon to cool to room temperature. Afterwards, use a spatula to transfer the ingredient onto kitchen paper towels so that excess fat drains from the meat pieces.

Using a knife, peel the onion. Then, immediately after this, rinse the ingredient under running water. Place the peeled vegetable on a cutting board and, using the same sharp equipment, finely chop the onion into small squares no larger than 1 centimeter.

After this, put the same frying pan back on medium heat.
Attention: during the process of frying the bacon, a sufficient amount of fat was released, so we are preparing the ingredients without adding oil to the pan. If after frying your bacon there is more fat in the pan than necessary, then drain some of it into a separate container. When the rest of the fat heats up again, turn the heat to less than medium and carefully place the chopped onion in the pan with your hands, salt the vegetable to taste. Stirring everything from time to time with a wooden spatula, fry the ingredient until it turns a soft golden color and until it becomes soft. And now you can turn off the burner and set the pan aside so that our fried onions can cool to room temperature.

First, peel the potatoes. And now we rinse the ingredient well under warm running water. Afterwards, transfer the peeled vegetable to a deep bowl. And to grind the ingredient, we use a fine grater. So, using this handy equipment, we grate the potato component directly into the bowl.

But that's not all! We need to get rid of excess potato liquid. To do this, use a tablespoon to transfer the potato chips into a sieve and, pressing on the component with the same spoon, get rid of excess liquid. Attention: at the same time, the potatoes should remain moist, so do not overdo it. After this, pour the potatoes back into the bowl.

Break an egg into a container with potato chips and add sour cream, fried onions and bacon.
Season with salt and pepper to taste. And now, mix everything thoroughly with a tablespoon until a homogeneous mass is formed. Using a tablespoon, pour a small amount of bacon fat into 4 ramekins. Attention: if you do not have enough fat, do not worry, as it can be replaced with vegetable oil. The main thing is that it is odorless. And after that, using the same equipment, we put the potato mixture into the molds. Level the surface of the dish with a spoon, pressing the mixture into the container.

We still have a sufficient amount of potato mass left. Therefore, in the same way, pour vegetable oil or the remaining bacon fat into a baking sheet or rectangular baking dish, so that the liquid covers the entire shape of the container. And after that, spoon out the entire potato mixture, leveling it at the end with the same available equipment. Place the baking molds one by one, and then place the baking sheet in an oven preheated to 180°C and bake the dish for 20 - 30 minutes until the surface of the Belarusian potato babka is covered with a golden crust. Attention: if, after the allotted time for preparing the dish, the surface of the potatoes is still pale, then you can remove the baking dish using oven mitts and grease the surface of the dish with oil or fat. Afterwards, put the dish back into the oven and bake for another 2 - 4 minutes.

Immediately after preparing the dish, it can be served. Belarusian potato babka is obtained with a soft golden crust on the outside and with a tender potato mass inside, which melts in the mouth after the first bite, leaving behind an unforgettable aftertaste of fried onions and bacon. Well, in order to improve the taste of the dish, you can sprinkle it with finely chopped fresh parsley or dill and serve it with sour cream. Enjoy your meal!

Useful tips and tricks

The method of preparing the national treat is not complicated, but requires knowledge of the following culinary techniques:

• in order to easily and quickly grate potatoes for upcoming baking, you need to choose the largest tubers;
• It is not recommended to squeeze out the juice released from the vegetable during the chopping process, since it is this starchy liquid, containing over 30 microelements beneficial to the body, that in the presented dish often plays a cementing role in the products, replacing eggs;
• when the preparation of the potato mass intended for baking in the oven is completed, it is advisable to pour 1 tsp into the product. lemon juice. This additive will prevent darkening of the formed composition;
• To rid the frying onions of the unpleasant smell and give the product a hint of caramel, you need to add a little salt into the frying pan along with the vegetable pieces.

It is very easy to unravel the secret of preparing the most appetizing potato babka - the simpler the recipe for baking the product in the oven, the tastier the dish with delicate mashed potatoes covered with a crispy crust will be.