Pot-roasted pork with potatoes (Zharkoye v gorshochkakh)

1. Preheat the oven to 180 °C. Cut the meat into 2 cm cubes, season with salt and pepper and brown quickly all over in half the oil in a frying pan over high heat.

2. In the remaining oil, fry the onion cut into half-rings, the sliced carrots and quartered mushrooms for 8 minutes.

3. Peel the potatoes, cut them into 2-3 cm cubes and salt them lightly.

4. Layer into 4 individual clay pots (or one large lidded ovenproof dish): meat at the bottom, then the vegetables and mushrooms, the crushed garlic and half a bay leaf, and the potatoes on top.

5. Pour enough water into each to reach the bottom of the potatoes, top each with a spoonful of sour cream, cover and bake for about 1 hour 15 minutes, until the potatoes are tender.

6. Sprinkle with fresh dill and serve piping hot, straight from the pots.

Tip: Gorshochki (little clay pots) preserve the tradition of the old Russian stove: in the closed pot the meat stews in its own steam and soaks up all the flavour of the vegetables.