Pastelón de Papa [Video+Recipe] Potato and Beef Casserole

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 red onion ((medium-size, minced [65 g])
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 pound minced beef ([454g])
• 1 cup tomato sauce
• 1 bell pepper (diced)
• 1 1/2 teaspoon salt ((or more, to taste))
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper (freshly-cracked, or ground)
• 1 sprig cilantro (chopped)
• 2 pound potato ([0.9 kg], peeled)
• 1 1/2 teaspoon salt (divided (or more, to taste))
• 1 cup milk (whole or skim)
• 1/4 cup salted butter (plus extra for greasing the pan)
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon parsley (chopped finely)
• 2 egg yolk ((optional))
• 2 1/2 cups grated mozzarella ( or Cheddar cheese, or both)

Instructions

1. 1

   --- 1. Making filling ---

2. 2

   Making filling: See the video to make the ground beef filling hereHeat oil over medium-low heat. Stir in onion and cook and stir until it turns translucent. Add garlic and cook stirring, for a minute.Add minced meat and cook over high heat and stir, breaking into small clumps until it browns.

3. 3

   Pour in tomato sauce, and add bell pepper, salt, and pepper. Stir and cover. Simmer for 3 minutes.Taste and season with salt and pepper to taste if needed. Remove from the heat.

4. 4

   --- 2. Preparing the potatoes ---

5. 5

   Prepping potatoes: Boil the potatoes in salted water (1/2 teaspoon of salt) until they are cooked through. Mash the potatoes, while still warm. A potato ricer (Amazon affiliate link) works best for this, but you can also use a food processor, or simply mash until there aren't any lumps.Mix in potatoes, milk, butter, garlic powder, and salt to taste. Mix in parsley and yolks.

6. 6

   --- 3. Assembling ---

7. 7

   Assembling: Grease a 9-cup baking pan. Spread half of the potato mash in the baking pan, and cover with half the cheese. Top with the meat filling, followed by the remaining potato mash. Top with the remaining half of the cheese.

8. 8

   --- 4. Baking ---

9. 9

   Baking: Cook in a preheated oven at 350 ºF [170 ºC] for 20 minutes, or until the top is a light golden color, and cheese is bubbly.

10. 10

    --- 5. Serving ---

11. 11

    Serving: Let it rest for a minute or two before serving.