Recipe Background
The Country Diner Casserole draws from two delicious dishes and makes something even better. It's basically the midpoint between a meatloaf and a Shepherd's pie. The topping is a lightly browned, creamy, and fluffy pile of mashed potatoes, while the bottom is a succulent and seasoned beef mixture. It's ideal for cold winter days when you need a spot of something hearty and welcoming to warm up. Country Diner Casserole may not come with the chrome of your local diner, but it does come with a big taste!
The Country Diner Casserole draws from two delicious dishes and makes something even better. It's basically the midpoint between a meatloaf and a Shepherd's pie. The topping is a lightly browned, creamy, and fluffy pile of mashed potatoes, while the bottom is a succulent and seasoned beef mixture. It's ideal for cold winter days when you need a spot of something hearty and welcoming to warm up. Country Diner Casserole may not come with the chrome of your local diner, but it does come with a big taste!
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds russet potatoes peeled and diced
- cold water to taste
- 1/2 cup half-and-half
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt divided
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1/4 cup chives freshly chopped
- 2 large egg yolks lightly beaten
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 medium onion diced
- 3/4 cup green peppers diced
- 1/2 cup celery diced
- 2 pounds lean ground beef
- 1 cup tomato sauce
- 2/3 cup breadcrumbs
- 1 1/2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 1/2 tablespoons tomato paste
- green onions optional, to taste, chopped, for garnish
Directions
- In a medium-sized pot with a lid, add the potatoes and enough of the cold water to just cover them.
- Cover the pot and place it over high heat on the stovetop.
- Bring the water to a boil and remove the lid.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low and allow the potatoes to simmer until fork-tender, about 15 minutes.
- Drain the potatoes and return them to the pot.
- Add the half-and-half, the butter, 1 teaspoon of the kosher salt, the minced garlic, and the chives to the potatoes and mash until smooth.
- Add the egg yolks to the mashed potatoes and stir until fully incorporated.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add the vegetable oil and heat until it is shimmering.
- Add the onions, the bell peppers, and the celery to the hot oil and cook, while stirring, until completely soft, about 8 minutes.
- Add the ground beef to the vegetable mixture and cook, while stirring and crumbling the meat, until the beef is no longer pink, about 5-7 minutes.
- Add the remaining kosher salt, the tomato sauce, the breadcrumbs, the Worcestershire sauce, and the tomato paste to the beef mixture and stir to combine.
- In a 2 1/2-quart casserole dish, add the beef mixture and spread it out evenly.
- Add the mashed potatoes on top of the meat mixture and carefully spread them out evenly.
- Bake until the mashed potatoes are lightly browned, about 25 minutes.
- Serve garnished with the green onions.
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