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Prażonki
Prażonki: potatoes, onion, cabbage and sausage steamed in layers in a cast-iron pot
Come late summer, villages around Kraków, the Jura uplands and the Beskid foothills hold prażonki parties, where a heavy cast-iron pot called a kociołek sits in the embers of a bonfire and everyone waits for the lid to come off. Inside are layers of smoked pork belly, onion, potato, cabbage and smoked pork sausage that steam in their own juices with only a splash of water, so the potatoes turn buttery and the cabbage sweet and smoky. It is eaten straight from the pot with buttermilk or kefir and a pickle. The usual slip is adding too much liquid: the pot should hiss and steam, not boil, or you end up with soup. A heavy casserole on the hob works just as well as a campfire. Chef's tip: put the bacon and onion at the very bottom; they protect everything above from burning and season the whole pot as their fat melts.
- Total time
- 120 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
For the pot
- 1 oz buttersoftened
- 7 oz smoked pork belly or thick streaky baconsliced
- 3 onionsthickly sliced
- 3 ⅓ lb waxy potatoespeeled and cut into thick slices
- 2 carrotssliced into coins
- 1 ⅓ lb white cabbagecut into wedges, core trimmed
- 1 ⅛ lb smoked pork sausage (kiełbasa), gluten-freesliced into rounds; check the label
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepperfreshly ground
- 2 tsp dried marjoram
- 1 tsp caraway seeds
- ¾ cup water
To serve
- 2 ½ cups kefir or buttermilk (optional)chilled
- 2 tbsp fresh dill (optional)chopped
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Method
0/8 doneStep 1: Rub the inside of a heavy cast-iron pot or casserole (about 5 litres) thickly with the 1 oz butter, including the walls.
2 minStep 2: Lay the 7 oz smoked pork belly or thick streaky bacon over the base in one layer, then scatter half the 1 ½ onions over it.
3 minStep 3: Mix the 2 tsp salt, 1 tsp black pepper, 2 tsp dried marjoram and 1 tsp caraway seeds in a cup. Add a third of the 1 ⅛ lb waxy potatoes, then a third of the ⅔ carrots and a pinch of the seasoning.
4 minStep 4: Add a layer of half the 10 ½ oz white cabbage and half the 9 oz smoked pork sausage (kiełbasa), gluten-free, tucking in the 3 bay leaves. Repeat with more potato, carrot and seasoning, the rest of the onions, cabbage and sausage, and finish with the last potatoes and seasoning on top.
6 minStep 5: Pour the ¾ cup water down the side, cover tightly with the lid and set over a medium heat (or on embers at the edge of a fire) for 10 minutes, until you hear steady hissing and steam escapes from the lid.
10 minStep 6: Turn the heat to low and cook for 75 minutes without lifting the lid. Every 20 minutes, grip the handles with oven gloves and give the pot a firm shake so nothing sticks.
75 minStep 7: Push a knife into the top potatoes: they should be completely soft. The bacon at the base must be cooked through and the sausage steaming hot, 160°F in the centre of a slice. If the top is still firm, cover and cook 10 minutes more.
10 minStep 8: Rest for 5 minutes off the heat, then turn out onto a big board or serve straight from the pot with the 2 ½ cups kefir or buttermilk and a scattering of 2 tbsp fresh dill.
5 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 560 kcal
- Protein
- 21 g
- Carbs
- 46 g
- Fat
- 32 g
- Fibre
- 7 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does prażonki take?
- About 120 minutes in total: 25 minutes to prepare and 95 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of butter?
- The same weight of ghee or coconut oil (for frying and most baking).
- What can I use instead of onions?
- 2 shallots per onion.
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