Nanny's Red Potato & Beef Bake

I know I've told you before that I married a meat and potatoes guy and we are raising little meat and potato children. Ask my family what they want for dinner and I'm pretty sure it will involve beef. This is my version of a classic dish a lot of our mom's and grandmother's used to make. Look in any old church  or community cookbook and I bet you will see a version of this layered beef bake. My mom would layer potatoes, chopped onion and maybe green pepper, uncooked ground beef, some kind of veggie, salt, pepper and then top the whole thing with a can of tomato soup or cream of mushroom. She would cover it and bake for 2 hours. I updated my version a little by adding some additional flavors and seasoning, as well as omitting the canned soup. I also like to cook my beef before I put it in the oven to bake. 

We had a cool day last week and I had some extra red potatoes I need to use so I thought I would make this. I hadn't made it for a long time, and we don't usually eat this heavy in the warmer months. It's a great family meal that you can change up to suit your family's tastes. 

Nanny's Red Potato & Beef Bake

10 Red Potatoes, scrubbed and sliced in ¼ inch slices, about 2 1/2 pounds

1 (16 ounce) bag baby carrots

2  pounds ground beef

1 large onion chopped

2  cloves garlic, minced (1 teaspoon)

1  teaspoon kosher salt

½  teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper

1/3 cup flour

1  tablespoon tomato paste

2  cups beef broth

½  teaspoon dried thyme

1  cup frozen peas, thawed, optional

1/3 cup whipping cream

1  tablespoon Dijon mustard

2 cups (8 ounces) shredded Sharp Cheddar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a deep 9 x 13 inch dish and set aside.

Place potatoes and carrots in large saucepan and cover with water, boil about 12 minutes until tender, drain.

While the potatoes and carrots are cooking, brown the ground beef with the onion, garlic, kosher salt and pepper in a large saute pan. Drain.

Sprinkle the flour over the browned beef and add the tomato paste. Cook for a minute. Slowly add the beef broth and season with the dried thyme. Continue cooking for a few minutes until slightly thickened. Add the peas if using. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the whipping cream and Dijon mustard.

Evenly spread the cooked potatoes and carrots in the bottom of the casserole dish. Top with the beef mixture and sprinkle the cheese on top. Bake for 20 minutes until the cheese is melted.

Enjoy!

Kim