Serbian Ground Beef, Veggie, and Potato Bake

My boyfriend lived in Serbia for 3 years and always begs me to recreate some of his favorite dishes. Based on his sketchy explanations and a little research into Eastern European spices, I concocted this hearty and slightly spicy bake with ground beef, paprika, and vegetables like celery and peppers. Great with a glass of red wine!

• Preparation Time: 25 mins
• Cooking Time: 60 mins
• Total Time: 1 hr 25 mins
• Calories: 367 Calories

Ingredients

• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ cup water
• 1 pinch ground cinnamon
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 pinch ground cloves
• 1 carrot, shredded
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 cube beef bouillon
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 1 pound ground beef
• ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 2 tablespoons half-and-half
• 2 potatoes, peeled and sliced
• ½ tablespoon paprika
• ¾ teaspoon black pepper
• 2 celery stalks, chopped
• ⅛ cup red wine

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Lightly grease a casserole dish.

Step 2

In a skillet over medium heat, cook the beef until evenly brown. Remove beef from skillet, reserving juices, and set aside. Mix in the olive oil, and saute the green pepper, onion, carrot, and celery until tender.

Step 3

Return beef to the skillet, and season with paprika, salt, black pepper, red pepper, cinnamon, and cloves. Stir in the water and red wine until heated through. Dissolve the beef bouillon cube into the mixture. Remove skillet from heat, and mix in the half-and-half.

Step 4

Layer the bottom of the prepared casserole dish with enough potato slices to cover. Place the beef and vegetable mixture over the potatoes, and top with remaining potatoes.

Step 5

Cook, covered, 45 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the potatoes are tender.