Despite the fact that nutritionists insist that the combination of potatoes and meat contributes to the collection of extra pounds, many continue to eat such dishes with pleasure. Almost all peoples can find recipes for minced meat and potatoes. Dishes on them turn out to be harmful to the figure, however, from this no less tasty. First of all, these are potato pancakes, zrazy and, of course, sorcerers. It is the latter who especially love to cook in Belarus, in Western Ukraine and in Poland. In addition, each nation has its own interesting cooking option.
Sorcerers from Belarus
It is in this country that sorcerers of potatoes with minced meat are considered their national dish. Perhaps because Belarus is the largest producer of potatoes. Or maybe just for the reason that the local housewives turn out to be especially tasty and resemble potato pancakes stuffed with meat. Actually, the Belarusian sorcerers are very reminiscent of the method of preparation and appearance.
Essential Products
For meat filling you need to take:
- 400 grams of pork with fat;
- 2 medium onion heads;
- salt, ground pepper and other spices to taste.
Also required:
- 12 pieces of potatoes;
- egg;
- 1-2 tablespoons of wheat flour (the less, the more gentle the sorcerers will be);
- 2 large onions;
- 1 tablespoon of sour cream;
- 100 grams of smoked brisket;
- ground pepper, salt;
- vegetable oil for frying.
How to cook sorcerers with minced meat in Belarusian?
Their preparation begins with meat filling. Skip the pork through a meat grinder. Cut onions into strips and fry in vegetable oil until it becomes golden. Add together with ground pepper and salt (other spices can be put if desired) to minced meat and mix well.
Now you can start the potato mass. Wash and peel tubers well. Then grate. It is advisable not to be too lazy and do it manually, since the processor or vegetable cutter mash potatoes, and too much juice is released. It is not necessary to squeeze the resulting mass. Add the grated onion, egg, sour cream, flour, ground pepper and salt. It is worth noting that thanks to sour cream, the potato mass will remain white. Also, do not abuse the flour. The less it will be, the more tender will be the sorcerers in the end. Mix all.
Heat the pan with vegetable oil. Put a tablespoon of potato mass, then a little minced meat and cover the filling with another tablespoon of grated potatoes. Fry the sorcerers with minced meat from two sides to a characteristic golden color and transfer to a pan with thick walls. Put in the oven for 15-20 minutes at 180 degrees and bring to readiness. Meanwhile, brisket and onion finely chop with straws. It will be gravy for the sorcerers. Fry the brisket in a well-heated skillet first until the juice stands out. Then add the onions and fry until it becomes transparent. Serve hot sorcerers with frying and sour cream.
Transcarpathian sorcerers
But in Western Ukraine, sorcerers cook according to a completely different recipe, in which there is no potato. Outwardly, they are more like a cake and are thin spinach pancakes, layered with meat filling and mushroom sauce. At the same time, Transcarpathian sorcerers with minced meat are no less tasty and fragrant. In addition, to prepare them, it will not take much time and effort.
What is required?
To prepare spinach pancakes you need to take:
- 3 chicken eggs;
- a teaspoon of sugar;
- a pinch of salt;
- 250 grams of wheat flour;
- 50 grams of spinach (you can take frozen);
- 300 ml of milk;
- a tablespoon of olive oil;
- water for boiling spinach.
For meat filling you will need:
- 600 grams of lean pork;
- onion;
- 3 tablespoons of fat cream;
- vegetable oil for frying;
- pepper and salt to taste.
In conclusion, you still need to make mushroom sauce from 100 grams of chanterelles or other wild mushrooms, 1.5 cups of cream, ground pepper and salt. Of all these products, you can make such mouth-watering sorcerers, a recipe with a photo of which will decorate any culinary magazine.
Cooking order
First you need to bake green pancakes. And the first thing you should boil spinach for them. To this end, boil water, lower it for 2 minutes and drop it into a colander. Transfer to a cup, add 1 cup of broth and grind with a blender. Leave to cool. Meanwhile, beat eggs with salt and sugar, pour half a glass of milk and add flour. Mix well and add the remaining milk without stopping stirring. It is very important that no lumps form in the mass. Then add the spinach puree and olive oil and mix. Heat the pan and fry the pancakes.
Next, you need to make the filling. By the way, it will also differ from that which is put in potato sorcerers. Cut the pork into medium slices and fry in vegetable oil until the meat becomes light brown. Then add the onion, sliced into quarter rings, and fry everything until cooked. Add salt and ground pepper. Pass the resulting frying through a meat grinder, pour cream and mix.
It remains only to prepare the sauce. Boil wild mushrooms (chanterelles, porcini or others) in boiling water for 15-20 minutes until half-ready. Then fry in vegetable oil already until fully cooked. At the end, add a slice of butter and cream, pepper and salt. Bring the sauce to a boil and turn off the heat. In this recipe, it is better to refuse champignons, as they do not have such a pronounced mushroom taste. Now you can start assembling sorcerers.
Put a pancake on a plate, then minced meat and a little mushroom sauce (only liquid, without the mushrooms themselves). And so alternate the layers until the products run out, except for the mushrooms, of course. The last should be a spinach pancake. Divide the cake into eight parts and pour over the remaining mushroom sauce. Having decorated with greens, it is necessary to serve Transcarpathian sorcerers to the table still hot. A recipe with a photo of this dish will surely be asked by all guests. After all, it is so bright, aromatic and tasty.
Baltic sorcerers
In the Baltic states, which is located in the vicinity of Belarus, of course, they cook potato and minced sorcerers according to their own recipe. Very often, local housewives even believe that their cooking option is the only true one. Whether this is true or not is difficult to say. However, in the Baltics, sorcerers are no less appetizing. They are distinguished by a delicate taste due to the fact that the potatoes are triturated on a fine grater, and the finished sorcerers are stewed in a creamy sauce. At least for this reason, you can try the local version.
What do you need to cook sorcerers according to the recipe from the Baltic states?
For potato mass you will need:
- 2.5 kilograms of raw potatoes;
- a glass of flour;
- egg;
- ground pepper;
- salt.
For meat filling:
- 600 grams of minced meat;
- 2 large heads of onions;
- spices to taste.
And also you need 300 ml of cream, vegetable oil and breadcrumbs. Actually, you don’t need anything else to make the classic combination of "potatoes with minced meat" delicious.
Cooking process
First you need to grate all the potatoes on a fine grater. At first glance, there will be a lot of it, but just as much is needed. It is good to squeeze all the juice through gauze. The mass should be very dry, almost devoid of fluid. But you don’t need to pour it, it is useful for making sauce. Then add the egg, spices and salt to the potato mass. Mix. Add the flour gradually until the dough is sticky and sticks.
Now you can do the filling. For her, chop the onion with a blender or grate. Add to the minced meat with spices and salt. Mix well. You can take any meat - not only pork or beef, but also chicken. In any case, these will be potato sorcerers with minced meat. It remains only to blind them.
Take a little thick potato mass, form a cake and put the meat filling in the center. Blind the edges, like with pies. Roll well in breadcrumbs and fry on both sides until they turn golden. This should be done in a very hot pan with vegetable oil. Put in a deep pan on top of each other. Dilute the cream with the previously left potato juice and add spices to taste. Extinguish the potato sorcerers with minced meat over low heat for 15-20 minutes. Serve with sauce, sprinkled with chopped herbs.
Instead of a conclusion
Perhaps, many nations have their own recipes that use potatoes with minced meat. However, it is the sorcerers who are popular. After all, they can be served both hot and cold. They look good on the festive table, even towards the end of the feast, when most appetizers and salads lose their attractive appearance. Sorcerers are convenient to take with them on the road or to work. And most importantly - they are easy to prepare, and all the necessary products will always be found at home.