Description
Hearty beef and potato bake combines rustic ingredients from rural Eastern European kitchens. Rich layers of tender meat, creamy potatoes, and aromatic herbs promise comfort in each savory bite you’ll eagerly devour.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1.5 lbs (680 g) ground beef
- 2 cups (480 ml) shredded cheddar cheese
- 4 large russet potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 0.75 cup (180 ml) milk
- 1 can (10.75 oz or 305 g) condensed cream of mushroom soup
- 2 tbsps (30 ml) olive oil
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp paprika
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Fresh parsley, chopped for garnish
Instructions
- Preheating and Preparation: Warm the oven to 350°F (175°C) and generously grease a 9×13-inch baking dish with cooking spray or butter.
- Meat and Aromatics: In a large skillet, brown ground beef over medium-high heat, crumbling the meat while incorporating finely diced onions until the beef is thoroughly cooked and onions are translucent.
- Seasoning Blend: Enhance the beef mixture with salt, black pepper, garlic powder, and sweet paprika, ensuring robust and even flavor distribution.
- Initial Layering: Construct the first foundation by spreading half the seasoned beef across the baking dish, creating an even base layer.
- Potato and Cheese Stratification: Meticulously arrange thinly sliced potatoes over the beef, completely covering the surface, then lavishly sprinkle shredded cheese to create a decadent, melting layer.
- Secondary Layering: Replicate the previous step by adding remaining beef mixture, topping with another potato layer and a generous cheese coating.
- Creamy Binding Sauce: Whisk condensed cream soup and whole milk together until achieving a smooth, cohesive sauce that will permeate the casserole.
- Sauce Integration: Carefully pour the soup mixture over the entire dish, ensuring complete coverage and penetration between layers.
- Initial Baking Phase: Cover the casserole with aluminum foil and bake for 1 hour, allowing potatoes to tenderize and flavors to harmonize.
- Final Browning: Remove foil and continue baking 20-30 minutes until the top turns golden brown and develops a crispy texture.
- Resting Period: Extract from oven and let the casserole rest 10 minutes, enabling layers to stabilize and facilitating clean, precise serving.
Notes
- Slice Potatoes Uniformly: Use a mandoline or sharp knife to cut potatoes to equal thickness, ensuring even cooking and consistent texture throughout the dish.
- Layer Strategically: Arrange potato slices in overlapping patterns to create a dense, compact base that absorbs the creamy sauce and prevents dry spots.
- Control Moisture Level: Choose starchy potatoes like Russet or Yukon Gold for better absorption and to prevent excess liquid from forming at the bottom of the baking dish.
- Customize Cheese Blend: Mix different cheese varieties like sharp cheddar and mozzarella for deeper flavor complexity and superior melting properties.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 90 minutes
- Category: Dinner, Lunch
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 7
- Calories: 460
- Sugar: 3 g
- Sodium: 800 mg
- Fat: 25 g
- Saturated Fat: 10 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 15 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 34 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 30 g
- Cholesterol: 90 mg