Baked Meat Zrazy with Egg

Cooking method

1. Step 1:

   

   How do you make baked meat zrazy with egg? Gather the ingredients. Ground pork and beef in equal parts work best for zrazy. But you can use ground meat of any kind — store-bought or ground yourself at home.

2. Step 2:

   

   Cut all the crusts off the white bread, break it into pieces, and soak it in milk. You can use either white sandwich bread or a softer white loaf for this — a loaf makes the patties more tender. Milk of any fat content works; it won't affect the result. You can also use plain water instead. Stale bread is better here — it soaks up the meat juices better, which makes the patties juicier.

3. Step 3:

   

   Boil the eggs and cool them in cold water. Peel them, chop them finely, and put them in a bowl. For zrazy it's best to use eggs with a bright yolk, so the filling looks nice and vivid when you cut into them.

4. Step 4:

   

   Peel the onion and chop it finely. Pour vegetable oil into a skillet and heat it over medium heat. Add the onion and fry for 5–7 minutes, stirring.

5. Step 5:

   

   Add the fried onion to the bowl of chopped eggs, salt it, and mix. If the filling is too crumbly, add a little vegetable oil to bind the egg pieces. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).

6. Step 6:

   

   Put the ground meat in a bowl and add the soaked bread, which you've first blended smooth (or just mashed well by hand). Squeeze out any excess liquid first.

7. Step 7:

   

   Mix the meat mixture, salt and pepper it, and work it well. To do this, gather the mixture into a ball, lift it above the bowl, and throw it back down. Do this about 15 times. This compacts the mixture. After this, the mixture becomes more elastic and won't fall apart while cooking.

8. Step 8:

   

   Divide the meat mixture and the egg filling into equal portions. Flatten each portion of meat into a patty and place the egg filling on it. Bring the edges together and pinch them firmly, shaping each into a zraza. This is easier to do with wet hands.

9. Step 9:

   

   Grease a baking dish with vegetable oil and arrange all the zrazy in it. A heavy-walled dish is best for baking zrazy.

10. Step 10:

    

    Put the dish of zrazy in the hot oven and bake for 35–40 minutes. Take them out, plate them, and serve. Any side dish you like goes well with meat zrazy, but they're especially good with mashed potatoes or roasted vegetables.

11. Step 11:

    

    Enjoy!