Egyptian potato onion beef casserole

    What we need:

1/8 cup vinegar (to soak beef/lamb)
5 medium sized potatoes
1 stick butter
1 pound frozen cubed beef or lamb without bones
3 large onions
1 small can tomato paste
2 tomatoes, chopped
salt, freshly-ground pepper, salt substitute (potassium chloride) 

You will also need a ladle, two stockpots, 1 large casserole dish or 2-3 smaller ones, a peppermill or mortar and pestle.

 
How: 

Defrost the meat in a large pot or bowl. Cover with cold water and add 1/8 cup of vinegar. Allow to defrost in refrigerator overnight. If already defrosted, let marinate for 1 hour. Pour off the vinegar mixture and rinse the beef or lamb in cool water. Cut off and discard any excess fat. Place meat in a pot. Add enough water to cover, and boil on medium for 15 minutes.
After the meat has boiled, put the can of tomato paste into the pot and dissolve it into the beef broth. Chop the tomatoes and add them to the meat mixture in the pot.
Add 1/2 tablespoon or more more of ground pepper. Add 1/2 tablespoon of salt and 1/4 tablespoon salt substitute. Mix and TASTE. If needed, add more salt.

Peel the potatoes (I think they're more nutritious with the peels on. If you want to, you can leave the skin on, just don't serve the dish to any Egyptians!) and onions into 1/4 inch thick rounds. Put the potatoes and onions into another pot, cover them with water. Bring to a boil and cook on medium for about 7 minutes.


You will need 1-3 caserole dishes depending on their size. Put 1/2 to 1/3 of the stick of butter into the bottom of the dish.
Put some drained beef or lamb into the dish. Put some DRAINED potato and onion into the dish. Then put some more meat and repeat the process until the dish is about two thirds full.
Then ladle the tomatoey meat sauce from the pot into each dish until the potatoes, onions and meat are completely covered. If you run out, then use the potato water.
Bake the dishes uncovered at 375°F for 90 minutes to 2 hours