Жаркое - Russian Stew

Жаркое is a hearty meat stew made with any type of meat and root vegetables and baked slowly in a clay pot. Since we did not have a clay pot, we had to use a dutch oven for this recipe.

Ingredients
- 20 baby potatoes  (quartered)
- 2 1/4 lbs pork tenderloin  (cut into 1 inch cubes)
- 6 carrots (cubed)
- 2 large onions (chopped)
- 2 cups of chicken stock
- salt and pepper
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon dried coriander
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
Recipe 
Preheat oven to 325 Fº. In dutch oven, heat oil over med-high and sauté carrots and onions for 5 minutes. Reduce heat to low and sweat for additional 15 minutes. Salt and pepper the pork cubes and vegetables. Scoot the vegetables to the edges and up the sides of the dutch oven, turn the heat back up to med-high, then add the pork. Brown for about 5 minutes, stirring the entire time. Turn off the heat and add the potatoes, chicken stock, and spices, cover with lid, and bake for 50 minutes.
Remove from oven and let cool for about 10 minutes, then serve.

After trying this dish, I thought that it was somewhat lacking in flavor. However, I did appreciate the practicality and nutritional value of the dish. The problem of the lack of flavor could be solved by adding more or different spices or meats. This is a fairly basic dish that could allow for a lot of potential to see what works and what doesn't. It was also incredibly filling.