This yapchik is the ultimate mouthwatering comfort food. It consists of meat topped with potato kugel cooked low and slow. It’s the perfect recipe for Shabbos and Yom Tov, especially Pesach.
What is yapchik?
Yapchik is a Hungarian-Polish dish that consists of meat topped with potato kugel cooked slowly for a long time. All you do is place the ingredients in a dish and let the oven do the work. Simply add a green vegetable or salad on the side and you’ll have a satisfying meal.
yapchik recipe ingredient list:
- Beef stew (or any meat of your choice)
- Potatoes
- Onions
- Oil
- Eggs
- Salt
How to make yapchik:
Step 1: Place the meat in a big baking dish.
Step 2: Mix the eggs, oil, and salt in a bowl.
Step 3: Place the potatoes and onions in a food processor and process them.
Step 4: Pour the kugel over the meat, mix, and bake.
When it comes to a baking dish you can either use disposable aluminum pans or a reusable baking dish. Whichever one you choose, make sure it’s very deep so that nothing overflows in the oven while it’s cooking. You might also want to place a piece of foil under the baking dish in case it gets greasy.
When it comes to a food processor and blade any will work. The two most common blades used are the shredder blade and the S blade. The shredder blade turns the potatoes into strings and the S blade mashes the potatoes completely. In this recipe, we use the S blade.
should you overnight Yapchik:
When it comes to Yapchik, “overnighting” is a common method used to cook it. This doesn’t necessarily mean leaving the oven on all night, all it means is that you give the yapchik a good eight to ten hours of cooking time at a low temperature. This will result in a great depth of flavor, color, and texture.
crockpot Method:
A pretty common question when it comes to yapchik is whether it can be made in a crockpot. And the answer is yes. Like cholent, yapchik cooks beautifully in the crockpot and is a smart choice if you plan to serve it the next day.
The instructions are all the same except you place the meat in the crockpot and top it with the potato kugel. Cook it on low for at least eight hours or overnight.
freezing yapchik:
Yapchik freezes well and is a great recipe to double for a later time. If you’re freezing it there’s no need to “overnight” it before freezing it. Just simply bake it for the first two hours, allow it to cool, and then freeze it.
Make sure to cover it very tightly with foil before freezing it to preserve its freshness.
When you’re ready to serve it:
Defrost it overnight and then place it in the oven at 200 degrees for eight hours.
Add a 1/4 cup of water to it and place it straight in the oven from the freezer. Bake it for one hour at 350 degrees and then eight hours at 200 degrees.
what to serve this yapchik recipe with:
As mentioned above this recipe is a meal on its own. But if you want to add a vegetable or salad, here are some great options:
Yapchik Recipe
Ingredients
- 1.5 pounds beef stew (or any meat of your choice)
- 4 russet potatoes
- 1 small onion
- 3 eggs
- 1/2 cup oil
- 2 teaspoons salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
- Mix the eggs, oil, and salt in a big bowl and set aside.
- Wash and peel the potatoes, place them in a big bowl of cold water, and set aside.
- Place the pieces of meat in a deep baking dish.
- Add the potatoes and onions to a food processor and pulse using the S blade until they're completely processed.
- Add the processed potatoes and onions to the bowl with the egg mixture and mix really well.
- Pour the potato mixture over the meat and mix well so that the meat is immersed in the kugel.
- Bake at 425 for one hour uncovered.
- Lower the temperature to 350 and bake for another hour.
- Add a quarter cup of water to the yapchik, cover, lower the temperature to 200, and continue baking for eight hours or overnight.
- Allow to cool completely before serving.