Where it comes from
Babka here is the Belarusian potato casserole — grated potato baked dense with onion and pork until the top crusts golden — kin to Lithuanian kugelis and Jewish kugel. It is humble farmhouse food, all from the cellar.
On the plate
Cut into babka — golden-brown crispy top, dense pale-cream potato interior speckled with bacon and onion. Bite: top crackly-crisp, interior soft-dense with potato's earthy starchiness, bacon's smoky salt, onion's caramelized sweetness, egg binding everything. Pair with sour cream and pickled cucumbers for contrast. Hearty Slavic peasant comfort.
How it works
Squeezing excess liquid prevents soggy casserole. Egg binding sets the structure. High oven heat creates the crispy crust.
Variations
With added mushrooms. With more bacon. Vegetarian (no bacon, with cottage cheese). With herbs. With cheese topping. Slow-cooker version.
On the Palate
Ingredients
Serves 6
How it's made
8 steps · Show ↓25 min active · 65 min waiting
How it's made
8 steps · Show ↓- 13 min
Preheat oven to 200°C. Butter a 23-cm baking dish.
- 211 min
Dice 200 g smoked bacon; render in pan over medium heat 5 min until crispy. Add 2 chopped onions; cook 5 min.
- 38 min
Grate 1.2 kg potatoes; squeeze excess liquid.
- 45 min
Combine grated potato + bacon-onion mixture + 2 eggs + 100 ml milk + 1 tsp salt + 1/2 tsp pepper + 2 tbsp flour.
- 51 min
Pour into baking dish; smooth top.
- 656 min
Bake 50-60 min until golden-brown and crispy on top, set in middle.
- 711 min
Cool 10 min before slicing.
- 82 min
Serve hot with sour cream and a side of pickled vegetables.
