All Easy Recipes. Cook all that you can cook. Ground-Veal Casserole With Potatoes
(Musaca cu Cartofi)
 
What You Need:            (Serving Size: 6)
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  • 6 tablespoons butter, softened
  • 2 tablespoons soft fresh crumbs, made from homemade-type white bread, pulverized in a blender or finely shredded with a fork
  • 8 medium-sized boiling potatoes (about 2½ pounds)
  • 1 cup finely chopped onions
  • 1 pound lean ground veal
  • 2 tablespoons flour
  • ¼ cup dry white wine
  • ¼ cup finely chopped fresh parsley
  • 2 tablespoons finely cut fresh fennel eaves
  • ¼ teaspoon crumbled dried thyme
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 egg yolks, lightly beaten, plus 2 eggs
  • 2 tablespoons butter, cut into ¼-inch bits
  • 1 cup heavy cream

    • How To Cook:
    1. With a pastry brush, spread 2 tablespoons of the softened butter ovedhe bottom and sides of a 2-quart casserole 3 inches deep. Add the bread crumbs and tip the casserole from side to side to spread them evenly.

    2. Set aside. With a small, sharp knife or swivel-bladed vegetable parer, peel the potatoes, dropping them into cold water as you proceed. Then, cut the potatoes into ¼-inch-thick slices and return them to the water.

    3. In a heavy 10- to 12-inch skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of butter over moderate heat. When the foam begins to subside, pat a handful of potatoes completely dry with paper towels and drop them into the skillet.

    4. Turning them frequently with a spatula, fry the potatoes for 4 or 5 minutes, until they are golden brown on both sides.

    5. As they brown, transfer the slices to paper towels to drain while you dry andfry the remaining potatoes, adding more butter to the skillet when necessary.

    6. When the potatoes are browned, add 2 more tablespoons of butter to the skillet and drop in the onions. Stirring frequently, cook for about 5 minutes, or until they are soft and translucent but not brown.

    7. Add the veal and, mashing it frequently with the back of a spoon to break up any lumps, cook until no trace of pink remains.

    8. Stir in the flour and cook for a minute or two, then remove from the heat and beat in the wine, parsley, fennel, thyme, salt and pepper.

    9. Let the mixture cool for about 5 minutes and stir in the egg yolks one at a time, stirring until no trace of yolk is visible. Taste for seasoning.

    10. Preheat the oven to 400. Assemble the musaca cu cartofi in the following fashion: Spread about one third of the potato slices on the bottom of the casserole, overlapping them neatly.

    11. Spread half the meat mixture evenly over the potatoes, add another layer of potato slices, and then add the rest of the meat, spreading it out as before.

    12. Cover with the remaining potato slices and scatter the 2 tablespoons of butter bits on top.

    13. Bake covered in the middle of the oven for 30 minutes. Then beat the 2 eggs and the cream together with a whisk or a rotary beater and pour evenly over the musaca.

    14. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes longer, or until the top is golden brown. Serve at once, directly from the casserole.

    		 
    		 
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