Detailed recipes for cooking potato zrazov
Zrazy is a stuffed cutlet dish. The phrase "potato zrazy" defines where exactly the filling is located - in potato mass or dough, as professional chefs define this product. Despite the rather simple "construction" (potatoes + filling), this dish is universal and perfect both as a full meal and for a quick snack.
Today, in modern cookbooks, dozens of variants of potato zraz are described, which, by and large, differ from each other, exclusively in the filling, the form of modeling and the method of preparation of the product. In this publication, we will look at what the classic potato zrazy with minced meat are, and also present several of the most popular recipes with step-by-step instructions for their correct preparation.
A bit of history
- According to the first, princess Bona Sforza, who was the wife of the ruler of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, Sigismund I first served zrazy to the table.
- According to the second version, zrazy appeared in Poland as a true Lithuanian dish, but after the formation of the Commonwealth.
The struggle of Poland and Lithuania for the right to be the ancestor of this dish has not led to any results for a long time: zrazy can be simultaneously considered a Lithuanian and Polish dish. Sigismund the First was not only the king of Poland, but also the Grand Duke of Lithuania. On the other hand, in the first mention of zraz, it was said that the Polish king Władysław Jagiello preferred Lithuanian cuisine and Polish zraz.
If we talk about the potato variety of this product, then there is a version that the dish has Belarusian roots, where potatoes ranks second in popularity after meat. Proceeding from the fact that classic products were made from meat and filling, potato zrazy is a kind of budget analogue of the original product with a certain share of an ethnic component.
Features of the dish
Potato zrazy is a dish that resembles chopped cutlets in shape, but in fact - fried pies, where instead of a shell of dough from cereals, potato mass is used with the addition of wheat flour and eggs. In contrast, some recipes use raw potatoes instead of mashed potatoes.
Almost any product can be used as a filling: finely chopped and fried mushrooms, stewed vegetables, minced fish, chicken and offal, cottage cheese. In the mid-90s of the last century, our compatriots began to enjoy the budget options of this dish, for example, potato zrazy with egg and green onions, or chopped onions and carrots. In modern cooking, various variations of greens and cabbage fillings are widely represented. Simple recipes for potato zraz stuffed with cheese, boiled egg and butter are not far behind in popularity. But, according to reviews, potato zrazy with minced meat are traditionally considered the most popular among our compatriots. Next, we will consider the principles of cooking this product.
Cooking potato dough
As already mentioned above, the basis of such zraz is potato tubers, which, depending on the recipe, can be used raw or boiled.
In the first version, the product must be grated on a fine grater and carefully squeezed out of excess moisture. In the second, zrazy from mashed potatoes are molded. Next, eggs are needed to create the correct mass. Traditionally, to give the base a more delicate structure, cooks all over the world use only the yolks of chicken eggs. To give the dough the necessary elasticity and stickiness, a certain amount of flour or semolina is added to its composition.
How to cook potato zrazy? Everything is very simple: we create a base, put the filling inside, form small patties or pies, fry in oil until golden brown. The garnish is usually a salad of fresh vegetables and herbs. Next, we will consider several popular recipes for preparing this dish at home.
Classic recipe
To cook potato zrazy with minced meat you will need:
- 600 g potatoes;
- two chicken yolks;
- three tablespoons of wheat flour;
- 30 g butter;
- 0.3 kg of minced meat (pork, beef);
- medium-sized onion;
- ground crackers;
- vegetable refined oil for frying.
Salt and spices are selected to taste.
We create the base
We begin to prepare potato zrazy with meat by creating a base. To do this, cook until tender and puree the potatoes. Yolks, butter, salt, spices and flour should be added to the finished puree. We knead everything thoroughly.
To increase the plasticity of the dough, the cook is advised to boil the potatoes "in their uniforms", then peel and knead, not allowing the product to cool completely.
Cooking the filling
Now we are preparing the filling. It can be made from boiled meat or raw minced meat. In the first version, the boiled meat should be passed through a meat grinder, salt, spices, a head of chopped and fried onions should be added to the composition. In the second option, in a frying pan, you need to fry a finely chopped onion with minced meat, salt and season with spices.
We form and prepare zrazy
An ordinary spoon will help you quickly form the same potato zrazy:
- Spoon the base onto a dusted board with breadcrumbs or flour.
- Make a depression in the dough with the spoon.
- Spoon the minced meat into the well.
- Put another spoonful of potato dough on top.
- Form patties.
Further, everything is simple: roll the prepared zrazy in breadcrumbs and fry on both sides until golden brown.
After frying, be sure to place the dish on a paper towel to absorb excess fat.
Classic potato zrazy with minced meat: the recipe for cooking is extremely simple, does not require an abundance of ingredients and time to prepare the ingredients. Nevertheless, they can be eaten both hot and cold, with sour cream, vegetable slices, fresh green salads. If the dish is prepared for future use, then the resulting semi-finished product is frozen and fried directly from the freezer, without a preliminary thawing process. The dish safely tolerates freezing and does not lose quality.
Potato zrazy with minced chicken
Potato zrazy with chicken are made in the same way. The only difference is in the preparation of minced meat. For this recipe, only boiled chicken meat is taken, which is not minced in a meat grinder, but on a board. For juiciness, add a sufficient amount of chopped onions (1/4 of the weight of the meat), ground pepper and nutmeg to the minced meat. If a chicken breast is used for the filling, then a small piece of butter is placed in each "cutlet" when laying the minced meat.
In the oven, potato zrazy with chicken are no less tasty than fried in a pan. With this method of cooking, "cutlets" do not have a high percentage of fat and are the most suitable for dietary nutrition.
As noted above, minced meat is not the only filling for this dish. With a potato base, exotic fillings from seafood or crushed walnuts, crackers and butter are perfectly combined. Next, we will consider a set of products more familiar to the stomachs of our compatriots, namely, potato zrazy with mushrooms.
Zrazy with mushroom filling
Fried mushrooms with onions are a classic filling of this dish, which is perfect for a breakfast with sour cream or as a complete lunch with a vegetable or meat side dish. The composition of the base is the same as for zraz with minced meat: mashed potatoes, eggs, flour in the proportion: 1000 gr. / 2 pcs. / 4 tbsp. spoons, salt to taste. More attention deserves the preparation of mushroom minced meat, which will require 20 grams. any fresh or frozen mushrooms.
Experienced chefs recommend using forest mushrooms for this dish, which have a stronger aroma.
Cooking classic potato zrazy with mushroom filling. A step-by-step recipe with a photo is presented below.
Finely chop one medium onion and mushrooms and fry in vegetable oil until tender.
Add salt and black pepper to the mushrooms. Put a portion of the base on a floured board, roll it into a flat cake, about 0.5 cm thick. Put 1 spoonful of mushroom minced in the middle of the blank.
Form zrazu, roll in flour or breadcrumbs.
Fry in vegetable oil until golden brown.
On average, the roasting process takes 3-4 minutes for each side.
Potato zrazy with Mozzarella cheese
Several years ago, fried potato croquettes (zrazy) with cheese filling began to be served in home-cooking restaurants in the capital. They are made according to the classical technology: cooled mashed potatoes (0.5 kg), 1-2 chicken eggs, flour (4 tablespoons), salt to taste.
Stir the mass thoroughly, divide into equal balls, 5-6 cm in size. Pour flour on the bottom of the plate, put a ball of dough and make a cake from it, in the center of which squeeze a small depression with a spoon. Put a piece of cheese on a flat cake and form a zraz, carefully covering the edges. After that, roll the resulting "pie" in flour and fry in a pan in a large amount of refined vegetable oil.
The oil temperature should be within 180 ° C.
In a budget option, instead of Mozzarella, you can use any hard cheese. In some recipes, it is proposed to grind it on a fine grater, but reviews are much easier if you put a cheese plate in the middle of a potato cake.
Cheese zrazy is served only hot. An "Italian" serving with sour cream sauce, fresh tomatoes and a green leaf is considered ideal. basilica.
Video recipe for potato zraz with liver
Zrazy stuffed with sauerkraut
Potato zrazy with stewed cabbage is a favorite dish in many Russian families. Despite the simplicity of preparation and a fairly budgetary set of ingredients, the product is very tender and juicy. We present to your attention a detailed recipe with a photo of potato zraz with cabbage.
For cooking you will need:
- potatoes 1 kg;
- sauerkraut 400 gr. net weight (without brine);
- onion - 1 head;
- chicken eggs - 2 pcs;
- flour - 2 tbsp. l;
- salt, black pepper - to taste;
- vegetable oil for frying - 4 tbsp. l.
Peel the potatoes, place in cold water and cook until cooked.
While the tubers are boiling, you need to chop the onion.
Saute the onion until transparent. After, add sauerkraut to it. Add freshly ground black pepper and simmer cabbage until soft. The brine is not needed, but the product should not be squeezed.
In boiled and mashed potatoes without oil, leave to cool. After, add the yolks of two eggs and flour to the mass.
Mix the mass until smooth. Beat the whites with a pinch of salt and add to the mass. Beat everything with a fork for the splendor of the dough.
Cover the board with cling film and put a portion of the potato mass on top of it. Form a flat cake, on the center of which put the stewed cabbage filling.
Pull up the edges of the film, form a "cutlet" and carefully seal the edges.
Sprinkle the resulting workpiece with breadcrumbs and fry in a preheated pan in a small amount of vegetable oil.
Serve ready-made zrazy with herbs, sliced fresh cucumbers and tomatoes.
In a similar way, potato zrazy are prepared with fresh cabbage, which must be stewed with spices, grated carrots and a spoonful of tomato paste.
In this post, several popular recipes for cooking such a simple but amazingly delicious dish like potato zrazy were reviewed. This product will be in demand by people who are limited in time, but cannot “pass by” good and nourishing home cooking. Try, fantasize and experiment and you will definitely succeed!