Жаркое (Zharkoye)

While scrolling through Facebook the other day I saw this recipe on a friend's page and it looked so good, I just had to try it! The recipe comes from Tatyana's Everyday Food blog where it is listed as "Ukrainian Stewed Beef & Potatoes" with the name Жаркое in the body of the recipe page. I looked up a pronunciation and Zharkoye was an Anglicized version of the word. A few sources of what Жаркое translates to listed "roast" or just "hot" as possibilities. Whatever you decide to call this it is delicious!

THE INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 pounds cubed beef, I used a chuck roast that I cut up myself
olive oil
5 cloves of garlic, minced
1 large onion, diced
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp ground cumin
2 cups beef broth
2 cups water
1 cup tomato sauce
4 or 5 potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 Tbsp cornstarch
1/4 cup heavy cream
3 Tbsp fresh chopped dill


In a large saute pan or Dutch oven over medium-high heat, allow a drizzle of olive oil to get hot. Add in the beef and season with kosher salt while browning on all sides.

Add in the garlic and onion, sauteing until translucent.

Mix the salt, pepper, paprika (SMOKED) and cumin in a small bowl.

Add to the pot!

Allow the spices to cook in the dish for a few minutes and then add the tomato sauce, beef broth and water.

When the liquids begin to simmer, put on the lid, reduce heat to low and set a timer for 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Check the beef for tenderness during this window to determine when it is ready for the next step! That step is to remove the beef to another dish with a slotted spoon.

Add the potatoes into the pot to cook in the stew liquid. They need to be completely covered so add more broth/water if necessary. Cover and cook the potatoes until tender, about 25 minutes. While you are waiting, mix the cornstarch and heavy cream to make a "slurry" (which is the word the original recipe had and it made me giggle). I used my little Ikea milk frother for this and it worked great!

Once the potatoes are fork tender, add the slurry and return the beef to the pot.

Stir and continue to cook until the stew thickens to your desired consistency. Season with fresh dill and serve like a stew or soup. I was not sure how the family would feel about the dill so I had it on the side to add to individual servings. The recipe also recommended serving along with small, Kosher pickles and topping with a dollop of sour cream!

This was so good! I served it with some crusty bread and since I had some naan on hand I tried it with that and was blown away! So good!! Comfort food at it's finest. This was my first time using smoked paprika and it smells AMAZING!