Dish of Beef with Garlic Potatoes
(click to enlarge)

Beef with Garlic Potatoes


England
Makes:
Effort:
Sched:
DoAhead:  		 3-1/2 #
***
4 hrs
Yes		 An interesting and attractive casserole that can easily stand as a lunch or dinner. It takes time, but is not difficult. See also Comments





1-1/2
8
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1-1/4
1-1/2
8
3
2
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3
3
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1
2
1/2
1
1/2
#
oz
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#
#
oz
oz
T
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cl
t
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t
t
c
T
t
Beef, Ground (1)
Onions
-- Vegies
Potatoes (2)
Tomatoes, ripe
Carrots
Celery
Herbs, mixed (3)  
-- Garlic Oil
Garlic
Olive Oil ExtV
-----------
Cornstarch
Water
Beef Stock (4)
Salt
Pepper
Prep   -   (1-1/4 hr)
  1. Peel POTATOES and slice about 1/4 inch thick.
  2. Par Boil Potatoes. Place in a pan with 1 t salt and Water to cover. Bring to a boil over high heat. Hold at a boil for 4 minutes, no longer. Drain and cool.
  3. Crush GARLIC and chop fine. Pound in a mortar, then mix in Olive Oil. Set aside.
  4. Chop ONIONS small.
  5. Scald TOMATOES one minute in boiling water. Quench in cold water and peel. Cut into 1/2 inch dice.
  6. Peel CARROTS and slice about 1/8 inch on a diagonal.
  7. Dice CELERY very small. Mix with Carrots.
  8. Chop HERBS fairly fine. Measure is after chopping, moderately packed.
  9. Stir together Cornstarch and 2 t Water to make a slurry. Mix this slurry with the Stock.
Run   -   (2-3/4 hrs)   -   Fits a 7 x 11 inch (180 x 280 mm) 9 cup (2 litre) baking dish.
  1. Preheat Oven to 350°F/180°C.
  2. Heat Ground Beef in a heavy bottomed pan (a 3-1/2 quart sauté pan works fine). Fry stirring often and breaking up clumps, until browning starts to show.
  3. Stir in Onions and fry stirring until translucent.
  4. Stir in Tomatoes and Carrot mix. Fry stirring often until tomatoes have softened.
  5. Stir up Stock mix and stir it into the pan.
  6. Stir in Herb mix. Bring to a boil, then simmer 3 minutes. Season with Salt and Pepper.
  7. Transfer the whole mix to a baking dish about 7 x 11 inches. Arrange Potato Slices on the top, overlapping each other in rows (see Photo).
  8. Brush Garlic Oil over the Potatoes, using all of it.
  9. Slip into the preheated oven and bake until potatoes are nicely browned, 2 hours or so. This recipe can be reheated in a 350°/180° oven.
NOTES:

  1. Beef:

      The pattern recipe calls for "lean ground meat". I used 73% lean, which has better flavor than leaner levels. It worked fine in this recipe.

  2. Potatoes:

      While Ireland has only Russet potatoes, England has more varieties, but I selected Russets for this recipe, and they worked well. For details see our Potatoes page.

  3. Herbs:

      I used a mix of Parsley, Cilantro, and Mint, but other fresh herbs can be used. If using dried herbs, use 1/2 Tablespoon.

  4. Beef Stock:

      This should be a strong stock. If you don't have it on hand, use 1 t Beef Powder or 1 Beef Bouillon Cube with 1/2 cup Water.

  5. Comments:

      The first time through, I followed the pattern recipe exactly, which resulted in disaster. This is not at all uncommon with English cookbooks. I have made serious corrections to the ingredient quantities and cooking time so it will come out similar to the photograph in the cookbook. It still doesn't look quite like their photo - that would take another 1/2 hour in the oven.
  6. U.S. measure: t=teaspoon, T=Tablespoon, c=cup, qt=quart, oz=ounce, #=pound, cl=clove in=inch, ar=as required tt=to taste
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