Gratin Of Beef And Potatoes

Total Time: 52 mins Preparation Time: 45 mins Cook Time: 7 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 4
• 6 cups diced red potatoes
• 1 lb ground beef
• 2 tablespoons cajun seasoning, such as chef paul prudhomme's meat magic, divided
• 1 teaspoon cajun seasoning, such as chef paul prudhomme's meat magic (optional)
• 2 tablespoons butter or 2 tablespoons margarine
• 1 1/2 chopped cup onions, divided
• 3/4 cup chopped celery
• 1 cup chopped carrot
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 cups beef stock, divided (or beef bouillon dissloved in water but be aware it adds salt)
• 5 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided

Recipe

• 1 preheat oven to broil setting.
• 2 fill large saucepan half full of water. bring water to a rapid boil. add potatoes. cook stirring occasionally, about 18 minutes or until potatoes are tender. rinse under cold water and set aside.
• 3 in a medium-size bowl, combine ground beef with 1 tablespoon cajun seasoning. mix well to even distribute seasoning; set aside.
• 4 in 10-inch skillet over high heat, melt margarine. when it comes to a hard sizzle, add 1 cup onion and cook, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes or until onion starts to brown. turn heat down to medium and continue cooking, stirring more frequently, another 2 minutes or until onion is caramelized to a rich brown color.
• 5 add celery and 1 tablespoon cajun seasoning. stir to mix well and cook another 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• 6 moving vegetables to one side of the skillet, add seasoned ground beef and remaining onion. turn heat to high. cook, stirring frequently to break up meat chunks, about 6 minutes or until meat is brown. (i've found this technique difficult in one pan. i use a separate pan for the onions then add the carrots combining all afterwards.).
• 7 stir in carrots and cook 3 minutes.
• 8 add flour and remaining optional 1 teaspoon cajun seasoning and stir well. let mixture cook about 4 minutes, without stirring, to allow a brown crust to form on bottom of skillet. when brown crust has formed, scrape it up and and stir to incorporate it. stir in 1 cup stock to deglaze pan, stirring and scraping bottom and sides of pan until clean.
• 9 stir in remaining 1 cup stock and cook another 2 and 1/2 minutes or until mixture has thickened slightly. remove from heat and adjust seasoning.
• 10 place cooked potatoes, meat mixture and 2 cups cheese in a 2 1/2 quart ovenproof casserole dish. stir carefully, to avoid mashing potatoes, just until mixed and mixture is evenly distributed. sprinkle remaining cheese evenly over top.
• 11 bake, uncovered, in oven preheated to "broil" setting about 7 minutes or until cheese has melted and is lightly browned. remove from oven and serve immediately.