Crispy Potato and Minced Meat Bake

(I would call it a potato version of a lasagne...it really works). Fried potatoes layered with bolognese sauce topped with a cheesy bechamel sauce

• Ready In: 1 hr 30 mins
• Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

• 1  lb minced beef
• 8  large potatoes, peeled and cut into thin circles (a bit thicker than a crisp)
•  vegetable oil, to deep fry
• 2  tablespoons olive oil
• 1  large onion, diced
• 400  g  pasta sauce (ready made)
•  red chile (optional)
• 3  mushrooms (or get a pasta sauce with mushrooms optional)
• 2  teaspoons garlic paste
•  milk
•  butter
•  flour
•  salt & pepper
• 100  g cheddar cheese, grated (any type of cheese you fancy to add to the bechamel sauce and for topping)

Directions

1. Fry the potato circles and drain them on kitchen paper (chip fryer helps and kills the time).
2. Whilst potatoes are draining:
3. Heat olive oil in a pan.
4. Add onion when translucent/browning.
5. Add mince cook until grey looking then add garlic.
6. Salt/pepper to taste and cook until brown.
7. Then add sliced mushrooms (if not in sauce optional).
8. When the meat is brown add pasta sauce (add chillies if you like it spicy)and bring to boil then lower the heat to simmer. for 20 minutes stirring occasionally so as not to stick to the bottom.
9. Whilst the sauce is simmering cook the bechamel.
10. Bechamel sauce;.
11. Melt two table spoons of butter.
12. Add flour until you form a roux (thick paste).
13. Then add either milk or half milk half stock, your choice, until you get the right consistency of thickness of the bechamel (remember thickness not runniness -- if runny just add in small portions of sifted flour until you get the right consistency.
14. Add half of grated cheese.
15. Now you should have all three main ingredients at hand.
16. Layer an oven dish of your choice with the potato circles then a layer of the sauce. Repeat until the last layer being the potatoes leaving enough space for the bechamel sauce.
17. Then sprinkle the rest of the cheese and place in the oven gas mark 7 until you see the bechamel layer browning.
18. Take out let it set for 5 minutes and serve with any green salad. Trust me it is well worth the preparation time.