My grandma isn’t Greek, but her sister-in-law is. When my grandma’s brother married his Greek wife, Ida, they spent some time living in Croatia. She was always talking about a secret ground beef and potato casserole recipe. My grandma was getting along very well with Ida, and they were cooking a lot together. Also, Ida felt safe to share this family secret with her.
Ida then taught my grandma how to make this meal, and still today we are cooking Ida’s ground beef and potato casserole often.
I hope that you will enjoy this recipe. If you are looking for more casserole recipes check out my Broccoli rice casserole and Vegetable casserole.
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Fun facts about potato
Potatoes are a very versatile vegetable. You can cook it, bake it, fry, make french fries from it, or cut it very thin and make chips. But did you know that at one point in history, potatoes were used as currency?
Tristan da Cunha is an island that in the 19th century used potatoes as currency.
They had to use potatoes because they had problems with the rats. There was a shipwreck, and rats moved on the island. For many years they were destroying the wheat, so potatoes were kinda the only plant that could grow on the island, besides apple and peach trees.
Potatoes were removed as a currency during the second world war. The UK set up a base, and they were monitoring the Germans ships from the island. Therefore, they gave lots of resources to the native of the island, and they started the first newspapers on the island. Also, by releasing newspapers, they introduce money.
How healthy is potato?
Potatoes are one of the healthiest ingredients there is. It has vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, proteins, fibers, and fats. Also, it is a gluten-free vegetable, so it makes it perfect for anyone who is allergic to gluten or has problems with consuming gluten.
Potato contains:
- Vitamin B3
- Vitamin B6
- Vitamin B9
- Vitamin C
- Magnesium
- Manganese
- Phosphorus
- Potassium
To conclude, potatoes are a vegetable with many vitamins and minerals that are keeping us healthy.
Tips on how to make the best ground beef and potato casserole
- When potatoes are cooked, put them in cold water. Wait for a few minutes. They need to be warm because it will be easy to peel them, and you will avoid burnt hands.
- The smaller the meat chunks, the meal will be tastier
How to know if the ground beef and potato casserole is done?
- You can easily poke the potato with the fork after it finished boiling
- Meat has a nice gold-brownish color
- When it is baked, it has a nice goldish color on the top
Potato casserole: what can go wrong, and how to fix it:
- The pot where the potatoes are cooking is starting to smoke, and all the water evaporated
Add more water (until the potato is covered) - The pan where you are cooking the meat starts smoking
Reduce the heat. Put the pan aside, and wait for a few moments to cool down. Continue cooking.
How to store ground beef and potato casserole?
Refrigerator
You can store ground meat and potato casserole in an air-tight container for up to 3 days.
Freezer
You can freeze ground meat and potato casserole in an air-tight container for up to 2 months.
Garnish for this meal
Garnish can elevate how the food looks, and it can make it look more appetizing. However, garnish can be a spot where alliums are hiding. In this recipe, I garnished my plate with fresh parsley.
Equipment
- 1 big pot
- 1 saute pan
- 1 baking dish 5’’x7’’
- 1 paring knife
- 1 wooden spoon
- 1 small bowl
- 1 whisk
Ingredients
- 12 oz potatoes 350g
- 1 tablespoon salt
Meat sauce
- ½ lb. ground meat 230g
- 1½ teaspoons parsley flakes
- salt to taste
- pepper to taste
- cooking oil - enough to cover the bottom of your skillet
- ⅓ cup milk 80ml
Egg mixture
- 1 egg
- 1 cup sour cream 200g
Instructions
Potato
- Put potatoes with skin in the water. Add a tablespoon of salt. Cook them for about 25 minutes until they are fork tender.
- Peel cooked potatoes by pulling their skin with your fingers, and slice them into 0.5 inch/1cm thin slices.
Meat Sauce
- While the potato is cooking, add the oil to a pan and heat over medium-low heat. When the oil gets hot (in a few moments), put ground meat and season it with a pinch of salt.
- Saute the meat with a wooden spoon, and break the big chunks of meat into smaller ones. Add salt, pepper and parsley flakes. Saute it with occasional stirring until the meat is cooked.
Construction & Baking
- Spray the baking dish with cooking spray.
- Cover the bottom of the baking dish with half the amount of sliced potato. Put on the potato ground meat and cover it with another layer of potatoes. Pour the milk over the top layer of potatoes. Put aluminum foil over it.
- Bake it at 350 °F/180℃ for about 20 minutes.
Egg Mixture
- While Ground Beef and Potato Casserole is in the oven, scramble one egg and add salt and sour cream. Whisk it together.
- Take out Ground Beef and Potato Casserole from the oven and smear the sour cream and egg mixture over the top layer. Smear the egg mixture evenly.
- Put it back in the oven at 400°F/200℃ until it gets a golden color on the top.
Video
Need more recipe ideas?
Check out these recipes:
- Air Fryer Meatballs
- Juicy Pork Tenderloin in Mushroom Sauce
- Dalmatian Style Meatballs Soup
- Ground Meat & Sweet Potato Skillet
- Zoodles Bolognese
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I made this recipe for a dinner with my friend. We ate everything and we can’t wait to make it again 😍
Thank you! I’m happy that you like it 😊
This become my favorite potato casserole recipe
Thank you! I’m happy that you like it 😊
My brother is picky eater, and he loves this meal
Thank you! I’m happy that you like it 😊
I like the flavors
Thank you! I’m happy that you like it 😊
I was making it with chicken stripes and it was yummy
Thank you! I’m happy that you like it 😊 I like idea with chicken stripes
Hi, I’m trying out your recipe and it says to add the salt, sour cream, and eggs but I don’t see how much salt to add? Thank you !
Hi, I put a pinch or two of salt. This is just to enrich the taste. You can add salt as much as you would add to scrambled eggs. I hope that you will enjoy this recipe! P.S. I got your email and I replied to it (if you didn’t receive it, please check your spam folder, and if it’s not there please let me know so that I can send it again) 😊