Zrazy

Ingredients

• 8 thin slices top round, about 90 g (3 oz) each, pounded to 5 mm (¼ in)
• Salt and black pepper
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 3 tbsp butter or oil
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 150 g (5 oz) mushrooms, finely chopped
• 60 g (1 cup) fresh breadcrumbs
• 1 egg yolk
• 2 tbsp chopped parsley
• 2 dill pickles, cut into thin strips
• 1 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 400 ml (1⅔ cups) beef stock
• 3 tbsp sour cream
• 1 bay leaf

Steps

1. Season the pounded beef with salt, pepper and a thin smear of mustard.
2. Melt 1 tbsp butter in a skillet over medium heat. Cook the onion and mushrooms for 8 minutes, until soft and all the liquid has gone. Cool slightly.
3. Mix this with the breadcrumbs, egg yolk, parsley, salt and pepper into a loose stuffing.
4. Put a spoonful of stuffing and a few pickle strips on each slice. Roll up and tie with string.
5. Heat the remaining butter in a heavy pot over medium-high heat. Brown the rolls well on all sides, about 8 minutes, then set aside.
6. Stir the flour into the pot drippings for 1 minute. Pour in the stock gradually, stirring, and scrape up the browned bits (fond).
7. Return the rolls, add the bay leaf, cover and braise on low heat for 1 hour 15 minutes, until the beef is very tender.
8. Remove the rolls and string. Whisk the sour cream into the sauce off the heat and pour over the zrazy.

Notes

• Serving: traditionally with buckwheat (kasza) or mashed potatoes and beetroot salad.
• Variation: bacon and onion, or cooked buckwheat and mushrooms, are other classic fillings.
• Make ahead: hold the rolls in the sauce and add the sour cream only when reheating.
• Slow cooker: brown the rolls first (skipping it loses depth), then low 6–7 hr or high 3–4 hr with the stock and bay leaf. Whisk in the sour cream at the end.
• Freezer: freeze the rolls in their sauce before adding the sour cream, up to 3 months; thaw overnight, reheat until steaming, then stir in the cream.