Stefania slice

Method

1. 1

   Boil 6 eggs until hard, then leave them to cool and peel them.
   Soak the 2 dry bread rolls in lukewarm water (or meat stock), then squeeze them out thoroughly.

2. 2

   Finely chop the white onion and soften it in a little fat over a medium heat with a pinch of salt (6–8 minutes). Remove from the heat and stir in the crushed garlic.

3. 3

   Making the meatloaf base:
   Put the 1 kg of minced meat into a large mixing bowl, add the squeezed-out soaked roll and the cooled, softened onion base, then mix until smooth.

4. 4

   Crack in 2 whole eggs, season with salt, ground black pepper, ground cumin and 2 teaspoons of good-quality sweet paprika. Knead into a uniform, springy meatloaf mixture.

5. 5

   Preparing the tin and layering:
   Preheat the oven to 190–200°C.
   Grease a 30 cm loaf tin thoroughly with fat and dust it evenly with breadcrumbs.
   Spread half of the mixture evenly over the base of the tin.
   Lightly coat the lower part of the boiled eggs with a little mustard or roll them in a small amount of flour, so they do not separate from the meat during baking. Line the boiled eggs up in a row down the middle of the meat, then cover them with the remaining meat mixture and press firmly so there are no air pockets.

6. 6

   Baking:
   Brush the top with a tablespoon of sour cream (or melted fat) and sprinkle with a little breadcrumbs.
   Carefully prick the meat on top with a skewer or meat pin (taking care not to hit the eggs), then cover the tin with foil.
   Put it into the preheated oven and bake covered for 60 minutes.
   Then remove the foil and brown for a further 15–20 minutes, until the top is a nice golden brown.

7. 7

   Take it out of the oven and leave it in the tin to cool and rest for at least 10–15 minutes so it slices neatly.
   Carefully turn it out of the tin, then cut into thick slices with a sharp knife so that the boiled egg shows beautifully in the centre of each slice.