Kartoflyanaya Babka

Ingredients

• 1.5 kg floury potatoes
• 200 g smoked pork belly or bacon, diced
• 2 onions, finely chopped
• 2 eggs
• 100 ml milk
• 2 tbsp plain flour
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 tbsp butter for the dish
• 200 g smetana or sour cream, to serve
• 2 tbsp chopped dill

Before you cook

• Peel the potatoes and keep them in cold water.
• Dice the pork belly and finely chop the onions.
• Butter a 24 cm round baking dish.
• Chop the dill.

Steps

1. Fry the diced pork in a frying pan over medium heat for 8 minutes, until the fat has rendered and the pieces are browned.
2. Add the chopped onions and cook them in the pork fat for 8 minutes, until soft and golden.
3. Take the pan off the heat and let the mixture cool for 5 minutes.
4. Heat the oven to 190C.
5. Grate the potatoes on the fine side of a box grater into a large bowl.
6. Press the grated potato in a sieve to lose about half its liquid, keeping the mixture loose rather than dry.
7. Beat in the eggs, milk, flour, salt and pepper.
8. Fold in the pork, the onions and every spoonful of fat from the pan.
9. Scrape the mixture into the buttered dish and level the top.
10. Bake the babka for 60 minutes, until the top is dark brown and a skewer pushed into the centre comes out clean.
11. Rest it for 10 minutes so it holds together when cut.
12. Cut it into wedges and serve with cold smetana and dill.