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Savory Potato Cake (Czech Bác)
Let's try "Bác," a Czech potato cake baked in a rectangular pan and served as a side dish with the main course. It has a wonderful aroma of garlic and ham, and each bite melts in your mouth. Traditional Czech cuisine has never tasted better!
Prep Time
20 mins
Cook Time
20 mins
Total Time
1 hr
Servings: 16 slices
Calories: 214 kcal
Course:
Side Dish
Cuisine:
Czech
Ingredients
- 2 cups milk warm but not hot
- 2 teaspoons active dry yeast
- ¼ teaspoon granulated sugar to make yeast starter
- 2 teaspoons lard (or unsalted butter)
- 5 medium potatoes such as Yukon golds
- 3 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 egg
- 3 cloves garlic peeled and pressed
- ½ Tablespoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 7 ounces smoked ham
Instructions
- Before you start: Peel 3 cloves garlic and press them.
- Make yeast starter: Mix about half a cup of lukewarm milk in a small bowl with ¼ teaspoon granulated sugar and 2 teaspoons active dry yeast. Allow to rise in a warm place until foam forms on the surface.
- Cut 7 ounces smoked ham into small cubes and fry it in 2 teaspoons lard in a frying pan over medium heat. Set aside and allow to cool completely.
- Peel 5 medium potatoes and shred them finely. I use a hand box grater (not a food processor) for this. Then put the potato shreds in a sieve and squeeze the excess liquid over the sink.
- Put the shredded squeezed potatoes, 1 egg, 3 ¾ cups all-purpose flour, activated yeast starter, the rest of 2 cups milk (lukewarm), fried ham, mashed garlic, ½ Tablespoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper into a large mixing bowl. Using a wooden spoon, mix until combined.
- Let it rise in a warm, draft-free place for about an hour.
- Grease the baking dish with fat (lard or butter). Pour the raised potato mixture into it and smooth the surface.
- Preheat the oven to 350 °F and bake the potato cake for 30 minutes. Increase the oven temperature to 400 °F. For a delicately crispy crust, brush the cake surface with a tablespoon of melted lard or butter, and bake for another 5–10 minutes until the cake turns golden.
Cup of Yum
Notes
- SERVING:
- Makes about 16 slices.
- SERVING: Old World Bohemians commonly served this savory cake warm and sliced as a tasty side dish to the main course, often accompanied by sauces. The more add-ins, like crackling, ham, garlic, or marjoram, the more likely it is to be enjoyed as a standalone dish.
- In some villages around Domažlice, a small town in west Bohemia, people sprinkled the cake's surface with poppy seeds before baking it. If you like poppy seeds, give this method a try!
Nutrition Information
Calories
214kcal
(11%)
Carbohydrates
36g
(12%)
Protein
8g
(16%)
Fat
4g
(6%)
Saturated Fat
1g
(5%)
Polyunsaturated Fat
1g
Monounsaturated Fat
2g
Trans Fat
0.01g
Cholesterol
20mg
(7%)
Sodium
390mg
(16%)
Potassium
411mg
(12%)
Fiber
3g
(12%)
Sugar
2g
(4%)
Vitamin A
66IU
(1%)
Vitamin C
13mg
(14%)
Calcium
54mg
(5%)
Iron
2mg
(11%)
Nutrition Facts
Serving: 16slices
Amount Per Serving
Calories 214
% Daily Value*
| Calories | 214kcal | 11% |
| Carbohydrates | 36g | 12% |
| Protein | 8g | 16% |
| Fat | 4g | 6% |
| Saturated Fat | 1g | 5% |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 1g | 6% |
| Monounsaturated Fat | 2g | 10% |
| Trans Fat | 0.01g | 1% |
| Cholesterol | 20mg | 7% |
| Sodium | 390mg | 16% |
| Potassium | 411mg | 9% |
| Fiber | 3g | 12% |
| Sugar | 2g | 4% |
| Vitamin A | 66IU | 1% |
| Vitamin C | 13mg | 14% |
| Calcium | 54mg | 5% |
| Iron | 2mg | 11% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.