Mish në saç

Ingredients

Meat

• 2 kglamb on the bone
• or veal, in large pieces
• 3 tablespoonsolive oil
• 2 teaspoonssalt
• black pepper

The marinade

• 6garlic cloves, crushed
• 2 teaspoonsdried oregano
• 1 teaspoonpaprika
• juice of 1 lemon
• 3 tablespoonsolive oil

The pan

• 1.5 kgpotatoes
• in large wedges
• 3onions, in thick wedges
• 3carrots, in chunks
• 2red peppers, in strips
• 4tomatoes, quartered
• 3bay leaves
• 2 sprigsrosemary
• 300 mlwater or stock
• 100 mlwhite wine, optional

To cook

• a saç, a metal bell
• a wood fire and embers
• or a heavy lidded roasting pan
• in an oven

Directions

1. Put the meat into a large bowl. Add the crushed garlic in to it. Add the oregano and the paprika. Squeeze in all of the lemon juice. Add the olive oil and season it well. Turn the meat so it is all coated. Cover it over and refrigerate it. Give it at least two full hours.
2. Cut the potatoes into large wedges. Large wedges hold their shape over hours. Cut them larger than feels right. Cut the onions into thick wedges. Cut the carrots into thick chunks.
3. Cut the peppers into wide strips. Quarter all of the ripe tomatoes. Heat some oil in a heavy wide pan. Brown the meat pieces on all sides. Work in batches rather than crowding. Put the potatoes in the bottom of the pan. Add the onions, carrots and peppers. Lay the browned meat over the vegetables.
4. Pour any marinade left over it. Add the bay leaves and rosemary. Pour in the water or the stock. Add the wine if you are using it. Too much makes it a stew rather than a bake. Season the whole pan well with salt. Add plenty of black pepper as well. A large pan needs a great deal of salt. Season more generously than feels right. Set the pan on the hot hearth. Put the metal bell over the pan.
5. Heap the embers over the bell. The bell must be well covered with them. Check it every forty minutes or so. It takes about two and a half hours. Heat the oven to one hundred and sixty degrees. Cover the pan tightly with a lid or foil.
6. Seal it properly with foil if needed. Baking it takes about two hours covered. Bake it covered for about two hours. Then take the whole cover off. Cook it on if it still resists. Judging the potatoes takes a test. Take the pan right off the heat.
7. Let it stand for fifteen minutes. Fifteen minutes makes a real difference. Bring the whole pan to the table. Everyone helps themselves from it. Serve bread to mop up the juices. Add a chopped salad alongside. It keeps three days refrigerated.

Technique

• A saç is a heavy metal bell placed over the food with hot embers heaped on top: the metal absorbs heat and radiates it down while the dome traps all the steam inside, so the food roasts and steams at once. Dry roasting alone would dry the meat and steaming alone would give no browning; the saç does both, which is why the meat comes out browned outside and falling apart inside.
• The vegetables go underneath the meat so its juices run down into them as it cooks; many people rate the potatoes above the meat. Cut them into large wedges, since small pieces disintegrate entirely over two and a half hours.
• A heavy lidded pan in a low oven reproduces most of it — the trapped steam particularly — but lacks the wood smoke and the heat coming from above, which are what the saç adds. Bake covered for two hours, then uncover for thirty minutes so the top browns and the liquid reduces.

Substitutions

• Veal stands in for lamb and both are used.
• A heavy roasting pan sealed tightly with foil stands in for the metal bell.

Variations

• The technique is shared across the Balkans under names including saç, sač and peka.
• Only a little liquid goes in, since the meat and vegetables release plenty and too much makes it a stew.
• It is cooked outdoors over a fire for a gathering, and the cooking is part of the occasion.

History

The saç bell-baking technique is shared across the Balkans; in Kosovo it is used for village feasts and family gatherings.

Frequently asked questions

What is Mish në saç?

Mish në saç is a main from Kosovo: lamb or veal baked under a metal dome covered with embers. The saç bell-baking technique is shared across the Balkans; in Kosovo it is used for village feasts and family gatherings.

How long does Mish në saç take to make?

Mish në saç takes 40 minutes of preparation and 2 hours 30 minutes of cooking. The recipe makes serves 8. It is rated hard to make.

What can I substitute in Mish në saç?

Yes, within limits. Veal stands in for lamb and both are used. A heavy roasting pan sealed tightly with foil stands in for the metal bell.

What is the most important thing to get right in Mish në saç?

Cut the peppers into wide strips. Quarter all of the ripe tomatoes. Heat some oil in a heavy wide pan. Brown the meat pieces on all sides. Work in batches rather than crowding. Put the potatoes in the bottom of the pan. Add the onions, carrots and peppers. Lay the browned meat over the vegetables.