Babka in a pot is a Belarusian dish made from grated potatoes, fried onions and lard. It sounds high in calories, but those who try this dish for the first time ask for the recipe and place it in the branded sections of their cookbooks. Simplicity and speed of preparation, aesthetic presentation and delicious aroma make this hearty food in demand at a traditional lunch or during a festive feast.

20 minutes of preparation, an hour of baking in the oven - and there’s a tempting, piping hot dish on the table. The dish can be served on its own or as a side dish. It is served with milk and sour cream, pickles and pickles. In general, you can fall in love and amaze with such food.

Secrets of babka in a pot in the oven

1. We take large potatoes to speed up the cooking process: they are both faster to peel and more convenient to grate.
2. Grate the tubers on a medium or fine grater. You can use a special attachment for potato pancakes in a food processor.
3. After chopping the first potato, be sure to grate one or two onions. This is necessary so that the mass does not turn black.
4. The addition of lard fried with onions makes the dish rich and recognizable.
5. Lard is taken with layers of meat. It's great if it comes with spices.
6. Lard or brisket for potato babka in a pot is cut into small cubes and fried only lightly. All the fat formed during the frying process is poured into the vegetable mass.
7. To get the most delicate taste, add milk or sour cream to the prepared potato and onion mixture.
8. Flour and a chicken egg hold the babka together in a pot with meat or minced meat, making it even more satisfying. There are recipes that do without them.

By the way

You can also get a vegetarian option if you do without the meat components. The taste of babka made from grated vegetables, spices and garlic is good.

What kind of dishes are suitable for baking potato babka in a pot in the oven?

It is convenient and quick to place the mixture in a glass, ceramic baking tray or cast iron roasting pan. But it’s beautiful and attractive to bake a dish in pots. And it is better to choose ceramic (clay) dishes with a shiny surface for this purpose. Volume up to 300 ml. Very large pots are easy to fill with contents, but it will be difficult for one person to eat.

Proven recipe for babka in pots with step-by-step photos

You can have a fragrant, satisfying, tasty meal by preparing a Belarusian casserole from a minimum set of ingredients. Combine grated potatoes with onions and meat/lard, place in pots and bake until golden brown for about an hour - it couldn’t be simpler. The delicate taste of the high-calorie dish will delight your household and guests. And serving in pots will attract with its aesthetics and elegance.

Step 1: Prepare the bacon.

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.

Step 2: prepare the onion.

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 the size of no more 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 cook 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.

Step 3: prepare the potatoes.

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.

Step 4: prepare Belarusian potato babka.

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 don't have enough fat, don't 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 tins one by one, and then place the baking tray in a pre-heated temperature 180°C oven 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 use oven mitts to remove the baking dish 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.

Step 5: serve Belarusian potato babka.

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!

- – If you always have such an assistant in your kitchen as a food processor, then you can use it instead of a fine grater. Only in this case, be extremely careful that the electrical appliance does not dry out the potato chips. After all, the potatoes should remain wet.

- – Instead of bacon, you can also add any other meat ingredients to your taste to the Belarusian potato babka. For example, it could be fried minced pork and beef, or simply fried pieces of beef or chicken, as well as fried sausage. This will not change the pleasant taste!

- – Belarusian potato babka can be used as a main dish or served as a side dish. For example, if you cook this dish in a sheet pan, then it can be served as a potato main dish. And, vice versa: in small baking tins, which can be served in this form, the dish will be ironed like a side dish.

Those who love potatoes and want to diversify their menu will love potato babka. Thanks to the large number of toppings with which it can be prepared, you will never get tired of this dish, and preparing potato babka does not take much time.

Potato babka with minced meat

Potato babka is a Belarusian dish that has many variations and has long been firmly established in our menu. We offer you a recipe for potato babka with minced meat.

Ingredients:

• potatoes – 10 pcs.;
• minced meat – 400 g;
• onions – 2 pcs.;
• carrots – 2 pcs.;
• eggs – 2 pcs.;
• salt to taste;
• vegetable oil.

Preparation

Peel the potatoes and place in water for 10 minutes. Then grate it and the peeled carrots on a coarse grater. Chop the onion and fry until golden. Combine potatoes, onions, eggs and carrots in a saucepan.

Grease a baking sheet with vegetable oil, place half of the potato mixture on it, evenly distribute the minced meat on top, and then the other half of the potatoes and vegetables. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees and cook the babka for about 50 minutes. Serve it warm.

Potato babka with mushrooms

Ingredients:

• potatoes – 1 kg;
• mushrooms – 250 g;
• onions – 1-2 pcs.;
• sour cream – 2 tbsp. spoons;
• greens, salt to taste;
• vegetable oil.

Preparation

Wash the mushrooms, cut into slices and fry in oil with finely chopped onion. If desired, add greens to them. Grate the peeled potatoes on a coarse grater, season with salt and pepper.

Grease a baking dish with oil, lay out some of the grated potatoes, then the mushroom filling and cover it with the rest of the potatoes. Grease the top of the babka with sour cream and place it in an oven preheated to 180 degrees for 50-60 minutes.

Potato babka in a pot

Ingredients:

• potatoes – 1 kg;
• sour cream – 2 tbsp. spoons;
• lard with meat layer – 250 g;
• flour – 1 tbsp. spoon;
• egg – 1 pc.;
• onion – 150 g;
• salt and ground black pepper to taste.

Preparation

Cut the lard into small cubes and fry for a few minutes, then add chopped onion to it and bring it to a golden color. Finally, season with salt and pepper. Peel the potatoes and grate them on a fine grater. Combine grated potatoes with sour cream, egg, flour and salt. Mix everything well.

Add fried lard and onions to the potato mixture. Grease the inside of the pots with oil, spread the mixture into them and place in the oven, heated to 180 degrees for an hour.

Potato babka with meat

Ingredients:

• pork – 400 g;
• onion – 200 g;
• potatoes – 1 kg;
• sour cream – 160 g;
• vegetable oil – 2 tbsp. spoons;
• black pepper, salt to taste.

Preparation

Chop the onion finely and the pork into small pieces. Fry the meat in a frying pan until golden brown, then add the onion and fry until it also turns golden. At this time, peel the potatoes and grate them on a fine grater. Mix potatoes with meat and onions, add salt and pepper. Grease a heat-resistant dish with oil and place the potato-meat mixture into it. Cover the pan with a lid or foil and place in the oven. Bake at 180 degrees for 40-50 minutes. Serve babka with sour cream.

Potato babka with chicken

Ingredients:

• chicken fillet – 300 g;
• potatoes – 4 pcs.;
• onions – 2 pcs.;
• semolina – 1 tbsp. spoon;
• flour – 1 tbsp. spoon;
• garlic – 4 cloves;
• vegetable oil – 50 ml;
• dill, salt to taste;
• sour cream – 150 g.

Preparation

Peel the potatoes and one onion and grate them. Boil the chicken, chop the second onion finely. Fry the onion in oil for a few minutes, and then add the diced brisket to it. Salt and pepper them.

In a saucepan, combine chicken with onion, 2 tbsp. spoons of sour cream, grated potatoes and flour. Grease a baking dish with oil, sprinkle with semolina and transfer the resulting mixture into it. Place the babka in the oven and bake for 50-60 minutes at 180 degrees.

At this time, mix the remaining sour cream, garlic and dill in a blender. Salt the sauce to taste and serve it with warm babka.

The basic recipe uses potatoes, meat, lard, and onions. If you want to reduce the calorie content of babka, you don’t have to add lard.

Potato babka is a great alternative for lovers. Due to the fact that the cooking process takes place in the oven, babka is less fatty and high in calories, but in taste it is in no way inferior to the famous potato pancakes.

Mushrooms and bacon are good alternatives or additional ingredients. Also, a tablespoon of flour and a raw egg are sometimes added to the basic recipe.

It is best to cook babka in a goose pan or other thick-walled form with a lid.

• Potatoes 10-12 tubers, total weight about 1.5 kg
• 400-500 grams of pork belly ideally (meat with lard), you can use peritoneum or other types of meat
• 2-4 onions depending on the size of the latter and your family’s taste preferences
• Ground black pepper - a little
• Vegetable oil

Recipe

1. Cut the lard into small pieces and fry in a frying pan for several minutes until the fat begins to melt.
2. Peel the onion, cut into cubes, add to the lard. Fry for three minutes, stirring.
3. Add meat cut into small pieces and salt.
4. Bring to readiness under the lid for about fifteen minutes.
5. Peel the potatoes.
6. Grind on a fine grater immediately before cooking, otherwise it will darken.
7. Add salt and pepper.
8. Lightly grease the mold with vegetable oil.
9. The meat filling can simply be mixed with the potato mixture or placed as a layer in the middle, that is, first half the potatoes, then the filling, then the potatoes.
10. Flatten the top of the potato babka, cover with a lid, and place in the oven. Temperature 180 degrees. Cooking time is an hour - an hour twenty, depending on the characteristics of the form. The thicker the potato layer, the longer it will take.

As a result, a light golden crust should form on top, and a delicate consistency should remain inside.

Cut the potato babka into portions and serve with sour cream or its base.

See how to cook. To prepare them, potatoes are chopped on a coarse grater and fried in a frying pan until golden brown.

Potato babka is a dish of Belarusian cuisine, which is prepared quite simply and looks like a casserole. But it can also be served with tea instead of a pie or made into a wonderful dinner. A universal option for all occasions. You can cook it with different fillings, but most often minced meat or chicken is used.

Potato babka with minced meat in the oven - general cooking principles

In the traditional recipe, only raw potatoes are used for the dish. It is cleaned and rubbed as if it were tributary. The variety doesn’t really matter, but it’s good if the vegetable contains a lot of starch. For the filling, raw sometimes fried minced meat is used; you can buy it or twist the meat yourself. The dish also works great with chicken or other poultry. There are even lean versions that use minced mushrooms; such a recipe can be found just below.

What else can be added to potato babka:

· onions, carrots and other vegetables;

· flour or starch;

· spices, herbs.

The exact composition directly depends on the recipe; you can also make your own adjustments to the dish; there are no strict rules. Potato babka with minced meat is prepared in a conventional oven. Assemble the dish in the mold. It will be baked for 40-45 minutes at a temperature of 180-200, unless other parameters are specified in the recipe. The babka is served hot and topped with sour cream, tomato ketchup, and herbs. You can use cheese or garlic sauce, they go great with a potato dish.

Simple potato babka with minced meat in the oven

One of the basic recipes for potato babka with minced meat in the oven. Preparing the dish is not difficult, you will additionally need some onions and carrots. We use any minced meat, or you can add poultry.

Ingredients

· 5 potatoes;

· 250 grams of minced meat;

· 1 onion;

· 4 tablespoons of oil;

· 2 cloves of garlic;

· 1 carrot.

Cooking method

1. Chop the onion and carrot, fry in three tablespoons of the recipe oil. You can use some fat instead. No need to fry vegetables. As soon as they begin to brown, remove from heat.

2. Grate the potatoes. The juice that will be released during the process does not need to be drained anywhere. Immediately add garlic and spices to it, add the egg and stir thoroughly.

3. The vegetables in the frying pan should have cooled a little, now it’s time to combine them with the minced meat, add salt and pepper, and stir.

4. Place half of the potatoes in the mold, level it, and cover with a second layer of potatoes. Smooth it, stretch the foil.

5. Place the potato babka in the oven for half an hour.

6. Take it out, remove the foil, grease the layer with the remaining oil and cook for another quarter of an hour or a little more. You can check.

Potato babka with minced meat in the oven (with lard)

The recipe is quite fatty, high-calorie, but very tasty potato babka in the oven. You can simply cook it with lard or use peritoneum with layers. Minced meat, poultry or any other, you can use leftover cutlet mass or filling for dumplings.

Ingredients

· 200 g lard;

· 7 potatoes;

· 200 g of meat;

· 2 onions;

· 3 cloves of garlic;

· spices.

Cooking method

1. Cut the lard into pieces of about a centimeter or a little smaller, send it to fry, cook over low heat for about four minutes, then add the onion to it. If you wish, you can grate carrots and even more than one; it’s also delicious with vegetables. After a couple of minutes turn it off.

2. Season the filling with spices, let it cool a little, then add the raw minced meat. Stir.

3. Peel the tubers, grate them coarsely and add garlic, egg, and salt. Stir immediately and place half into the greased pan. We level it, cover it with a new layer of potatoes, and then stretch a piece of foil. A lid made of fire-resistant material can be used.

4. Place in the oven. About ten minutes before the end of cooking, remove the foil from the potato head, brown the top, and brush it with butter.

Potato babka with minced meat in the oven (with cheese)

A very tasty and rosy version of potato babka. The dish is prepared without eggs, but with the addition of cheese. We use any hard or semi-hard varieties. Additionally, for the meat filling you will need bell pepper and a little tomato paste; you can replace it with ketchup.

Ingredients

· 400 g minced meat;

· 8 potatoes;

· 1 bell pepper;

· 1 onion;

· 130 g cheese;

· 20 g paste;

· 1 carrot;

· 2 tbsp. l. thick sour cream;

· 2 cloves of garlic and other spices.

Cooking method

1. Peel the carrots and onions and cut them in any way, this is not so important. We put them in a frying pan, sauté a little, throw in the bell pepper and fry with it for just a minute. Add tomato paste, stir, turn off after a minute.

2. Cool the filling and mix with minced meat, add garlic and add salt, pepper, you can add a little dried or fresh herbs.

3. Peel the potatoes; medium-sized tubers are indicated; if necessary, increase or reduce the number of pieces. Rub coarsely.

4. We also grate the cheese and put it on top of the potatoes, but not all of it, you need to leave a couple of spoons so that a beautiful and golden brown crust appears on the babka.

5. Assemble the dish in the mold in the classic way, level the potatoes on top, but do not compact them tightly.

6. Cover the dish with the remaining cheese and cover with thick sour cream. Place in the oven for 45 minutes; this type of babka does not need to be covered with foil.

Potato babka with minced meat in the oven (mashed)

Is there any puree left? You can also make potato babka from it, but it will not be quite a classic dish. The recipe uses minced meat with lard. If there is not enough mashed potatoes, then simply grate one or two potatoes into it, but finely so that the vegetable has time to cook during baking.

Ingredients

· 700 g mashed potatoes;

· spices;

· 300 g minced meat;

· 100 g of onion;

· 30 g crackers;

· carrot;

· 50 g sour cream;

· 130 g lard.

Cooking method

1. Chop the lard into cubes and fry. As soon as the first fat is rendered from the pieces, add the carrots immediately along with the onions. There is no need to fry anything to the crackling level.

2. Let the vegetables brown a little, season with spices and cool, you can add garlic and herbs. After this, combine the vegetables with the minced meat, do not forget to add salt. To brighten the taste, you can add one spoon of ketchup, but no more.

3. Break the egg into mashed potatoes and stir. If the consistency is runny, you can add 1-2 tablespoons of flour.

4. Grease the potato babka mold, sprinkle with a thick layer of crackers and add half of the prepared mashed potatoes.

5. Lay out the filling, then the potatoes. Grease the top with sour cream, put in the oven for 35-40 minutes, bake the potato babka until cooked.

Lenten potato babka with minced mushrooms in the oven

Potato babka is not always prepared with lard or minced meat; there are lean options. Vegetarians will also appreciate them. Recipe without eggs, any type of mushroom can be used.

Ingredients

· 600 g potatoes;

· 250 g mushrooms;

· 50 ml vegetable oil;

· 1 carrot;

· 3 spoons of crackers;

· 1 tbsp. l. flour;

· 2 onions;

· garlic, herbs to taste.

Cooking method

1. We start with mushrooms. If they are not greenhouse, then you need to boil them first. Then we cut it. When using champignons, chop them immediately and send them to fry. Add onions and carrots, and other vegetables if desired. We don’t bring the filling to readiness, but all the moisture needs to be evaporated. As soon as the vegetables begin to brown, remove from heat.

2. Add salt, spices, garlic, herbs and any seasonings to your taste to the mushroom mince. Leave the filling to cool.

3. Peel the potatoes. For the mushroom babka, grate the potatoes finely so that it becomes almost a pulp; you can put it through a meat grinder. Add flour, stir, salt to taste.

4. Sprinkle the greased pan with crackers.

5. Assemble the babka and place the filling in the middle. Set to bake and cook the fruit with foil for 25 minutes. Then grease the potatoes with vegetable oil and bake uncovered until cooked.

Potato babka with minced meat in the oven in a pot

It is not necessary to cook the potato babka in a mold, keep an eye on it and cover it with foil. This is one of the laziest ways to prepare a Belarusian dish in the oven. You will need one large pot. Can be made in portioned dishes.

Ingredients

· 6-7 potatoes;

· 2 onions;

· 400 g minced meat;

· 80 g sour cream;

· 80 g lard;

· 3 cloves of garlic;

· spice mixture;

Cooking method

1. Vegetables for this recipe will not be fried, which will additionally save time. Rub the inside of the pot with oil and treat the walls so that nothing sticks to them.

2. Chop the onion finely, mix with minced meat, add garlic to it, you can also add carrots, but then we use the finest grater.

3. Grate the potatoes. We cut the lard, mix them together, salt, pepper, and add any seasonings.

4. Place potatoes and minced meat in layers in the pot, ending with potatoes. Coat the meat layers and top potatoes with sour cream.

5. Cover the pots, put them in the oven, and cook for an hour.

Potato babka with minced meat in the oven - useful tips and tricks

· Potato babka will be more beautiful if you sprinkle it with grated cheese on top. A golden brown crust will not spoil any dish.

· If there is not enough minced meat, then you can add more vegetables or a little boiled buckwheat rice or any other cereal to it.

· There is no need to put the potatoes in a mold in a too thin translucent layer; in this case, the dish will not be as juicy and the taste will change.

· You can add any spices to potato babka, and some of them can change the color of the dish. Turmeric will make the potatoes pleasantly yellow, ground paprika gives a beautiful shade.