Cheddar Potato and Mince Bake! Easy and very Delicious
Many viewers of my YouTube channel have asked me for a step-by-step recipe..
Many viewers of my YouTube channel have asked me for a step-by-step recipe for this simple bake. Although I have made it so many times in different variations (with fish, tofu or chicken), the most delicious one was in a log cabin in the north of Germany, where we once had a little stopover on our way to Hamburg... The log cabin was in the middle of nowhere, close to the forest, and it was a cold, snowy winter day. Beautiful scenery of a lake with a thin sheet of ice, frost on the trees, ravens and silence... It would have been perfect, but our host had forgotten to turn on the heating and it was almost as freezing in the cabin as it was outside. While my husband was on the phone to the host, dealing with complicated thermostats, and at the same time building a fire in a small chimney, I thought of baking something in the oven that would also warm the place up. And this recipe came to mind because I like it, and when you like something, it is always a good reason to turn on the oven for at least half an hour. By the time the cabin was warm enough for us to take off our winter jackets, the bake was ready. And having it right next to the fire was a real treat...
Ingredients:
4 potatoes, peeled
Salt and black pepper to taste
450g (1lb) minced beef (95% lean / 5% fat)
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 onion
3 eggs
1/2 tsp oregano
100ml (1/2 cup) heavy cream
100g (3.5oz) cheddar cheese
Kitchen utensils: 10-inch (25 cm) baking dish or skillet, chopping board and knife, large bowl, whisk, spatula, cheese grater, tin foil.
Method:
Preheat the oven to 180 C or 360 F.
Cut 4 peeled potatoes into slices about 2 mm thick.
Drizzle 1 - 1 ½ tablespoons of olive oil into the oven dish or skillet.
Arrange the potato slices in an even layer. Season with ½ teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon black pepper.
Spread 1 lb / 450g of the minced beef over the potatoes. Season with ½ teaspoon salt, black pepper, garlic powder and sweet paprika.
Cut ½ of the onion into thin half rings and spread over the mince.
Close the top of the bake with the potato slices, again in an even layer. Sprinkle with ½ teaspoon salt and black pepper and drizzle with ½ tablespoon olive oil.
Cover with tin foil and bake in the oven for 30-35 minutes, until the potatoes are cooked through.
Meanwhile, in a large bowl, beat the 3 eggs. Add ½ teaspoon salt, black pepper and oregano. Whisk until the yolks and whites are incorporated.
Add 100ml (½ cup) heavy cream and 100g (3.5 oz) grated Cheddar and mix well.
After 30-35 minutes, take the cake out of the oven, remove the foil, pour the egg and cheese mixture on top and bake uncovered for a further 15-20 minutes.
Notes:
Minced beef / Bulk it up: As there is quite a lot of cream involved, I prefer to use low fat mince. Here it is only 5%. That doesn't mean you have to do the same... But I wouldn't go for excessively fatty meat. If you want to add some bacon, for example, I'd fry it first, then absorb the fat on a paper towel and add it to the bake together with the onions.
Garnish: Well, this dish is actually the main course and the garnish altogether :) as it contains protein and starch. I usually serve it with vegetable salads. Check out this recently published one.
Instead of beef: ...you can use lamb, pork, chicken or turkey mince, fish like salmon and cod, shrimps, crayfish and tofu. This brings us to the next section, spices.
Spices: The seasoning options here are endless and will depend very much on what you are using to fill your dish. Lamb would be great with a bit of dry coriander seed, pork – with cumin. Poultry would leave the door open to your imagination and personal taste – I like to keep it simple and just add rosemary, thyme or finely chopped fresh parsley. Fish and shrimp would need something fresh, like a good squeeze of half a lemon, some lemon zest and a bit of fresh or dried herbs. And when it comes to tofu, I'd just mix it with some fresh garlic and grated ginger.
Substitutions:
Vegetarian/Vegan: As you read above, tofu works pretty well in this recipe. As for the eggs, tofu can also be used as a substitute: just blend 150g (¾ cup) of silken tofu well until it resembles an egg wash.
For the vegan heavy cream, soak 1 cup of cashews in water overnight or boil them for half an hour. Place the nuts, ¾ cup (150ml) water and ¼ teaspoon salt in a mixer. Blend on high speed for about a minute. Scrape down the sides and blend again until you have a creamy, even texture. This would also be an option for those on a lactose-free diet.
As for the Cheddar, I actually tried a vegan one a while back and it was quite good. Make sure the vegan cheese you get has the ability to melt: it is usually stated on the package.
Potatoes: To make the cake less heavy, you can use sweet potatoes and practically any root vegetable such as celeriac, Jerusalem artichokes, parsnips, turnips, etc. Pumpkin would be a very interesting option to try – I've never done it for some reason... And for those on a diet, courgettes and aubergines are our everything. However, just for your notes, I'd sprinkle a little salt on the aubergine slices beforehand and leave them to release the juices for about half an hour – that way you'll get rid of any unnecessary bitterness.
Onions: If you're allergic to onions or just don't like them at all, you can substitute grated or thinly sliced carrots. Half a fennel bulb would also be nice, especially if you're using fish, prawns or other seafood as the centerpiece of the bake.
Cheddar: The amount of cheese can vary in this recipe. If you like more cheese, go for it! You can use a variety of cheeses and go for Gruyere, Manchego, Parmesan, Pecorino and even Gorgonzola or Roquefort if you like the blue cheese and beef pairing as much as I do.
Garlic powder: If you have an allium allergy, you could always replace the garlic powder with fresh chili or chili flakes, or again, some grated ginger!
This recipe is entirely gluten free!
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Wow, I love that you do the conversions so I don't have to Google everything. Recipe/Google. Back to recipe....For sure, along the way, I'm going to miss something. lol Thanks and this looks delish!
This sounds fabulous!! 👍🏻 Thank you for sharing your recipe and your story! 😊