French-Style Potato, Meatball, and Cheese Bake
Ingredients:
- 3 large potatoes
- 1 chopped white onion
- 1 lb (450 g) ground beef or your choice of meat for meatballs
- 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
- 1 egg
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp garlic powder (optional)
- 1 cup shredded cheese (Gruyère, cheddar, or mozzarella)
- 2 tbsp olive oil or butter
Instructions:
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C).
- Boil Potatoes: Peel and boil potatoes until tender, about 15–20 minutes. Slice them into thin rounds.
- Prepare Meatballs:
- In a bowl, combine ground meat, breadcrumbs, egg, salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
- Form small meatballs, about 1 inch in diameter.
- Cook Meatballs: In a skillet, heat olive oil or butter over medium heat and brown meatballs on all sides (they don’t need to be fully cooked; they will finish baking in the oven).
- Layer the Bake:
- In a baking dish, layer half of the potato slices.
- Add a layer of meatballs and half of the chopped onion.
- Sprinkle with half of the cheese.
- Repeat layers with the remaining potatoes, meatballs, onion, and top with the remaining cheese.
- Bake: Cover with foil and bake for 20–25 minutes. Remove the foil and bake another 10 minutes until cheese is golden and bubbly.
- Serve: Let it cool slightly, then serve warm.