Fried potatoes with civil servant's tip

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 250 g onion(s)
• 20 g bacon
• 1 tbsp caraway seeds
• 50 g butter
• 3 tbsp oil
• 600 g minced meat
• some salt and pepper
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 400 ml beef stock
• 250 ml water, cold
• 1 bay leaf
• 800 g potato(s), small waxy triplets
• 5 sprigs parsley, flat
• 4 large cucumber(s) (Spreewald)

Instructions

Working time approx. 25 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 1 hour; Total time approx. 1 hour 25 minutes

Formerly a popular leftover meal for lower civil servants

Finely dice the bacon and onions. Finely grind the caraway seeds using a mortar and pestle, or have some ground caraway seeds ready. Heat a little butter and oil in a roasting pan and fry the minced meat over high heat for 4-5 minutes, then season with salt and pepper. Add the bacon and onion cubes and fry for a further 4-5 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and ground caraway seeds and fry for about 30 seconds. Deglaze everything with the stock and water and simmer uncovered for 50-60 minutes. Add the bay leaf 20 minutes before the end of the cooking time. Meanwhile, wash the potatoes thoroughly and cook with the skin on in plenty of salted water for about 18 minutes, until they are still slightly firm to the bite. Drain the potatoes in a sieve and let them evaporate. Peel the potatoes while they are still warm. Wash the parsley and shake it dry. Pick off the leaves and finely chop them. Cut the cucumbers lengthwise into thin slices. Heat the remaining butter in a pan and fry the peeled potatoes until golden brown. Season lightly with salt. To serve, place some of the minced meat on a deep plate, add the fried potatoes, and garnish with parsley and the cucumbers. Tip: It’s especially fresh with tart cucumbers.