French Ground Pork and Potato Casserole With Cheesy Topping
This Ground Pork and Potato Casserole is what I make when it’s cold out and I want a real dinner without spending three hours prepping and cooking. Inspired by French flavors and making use of inexpensive ground pork, it’s a tasty casserole that’s even better the next day.
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You could easily use ground chicken or turkey in this dish, and most of the hard work comes from slicing the potatoes. It the potato skins are thin, I don’t even bother peeling the potatoes as the skins add a lovely rustic touch.
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Don’t forget to deglaze the pan with wine or a bit of chicken broth. Deglazing the skillet pulls up every browned bit the pork left behind, and most of the sauce’s flavor comes from those bits. After that it’s just about layering and baking.
Chef Jenn’s Take on French Country Ground Pork and Potato Casserole
Most potato casseroles go wrong in one of two ways. Either the potatoes come out half raw in the middle, or the whole thing turns into a heavy, gluey cheese bomb that you can’t finish.
This is the kind of casserole I want on a cold night: browned pork, tender mushrooms, plenty of garlic and fresh thyme, all layered between thin potatoes in a light cream sauce. I built it to avoid both of those problems. The potatoes are sliced ⅛ inch thick and baked under tight foil first, so they steam in the sauce instead of drying out on top. The Gruyère goes only on top, one cup, added at the end. It gives the dish a savory, nutty finish without turning it into another cheese casserole.
The sauce is lighter than you’d expect. There’s only half a cup of cream, and the wine and Dijon keep it sharp, so this reads as French country food rather than a church potluck bake.
What You’ll Love About This Ground Pork and Potato Casserole
- Only half a cup of cream goes into the whole dish, so you get a rich sauce that doesn’t sit like a brick afterward.
- One skillet does all the stovetop work. The pork, mushrooms, onions and sauce all come out of the same pan, so there’s very little to clean.
- Ground pork costs a fraction of what beef does, and with wine and Gruyère it tastes like something you’d order in a bistro.
Ingredients
- Ground pork – Regular ground pork, not lean. You need the fat for browning. Don’t use breakfast sausage, because its sage and sugar don’t go with this sauce.
- Yukon Gold potatoes – Stick with Yukon Golds. Russets fall apart into mush at this thickness, and red potatoes never go fully tender in cream. A mandoline gets you even ⅛-inch slices in a couple of minutes.
- Cremini mushrooms – White button mushrooms work if that’s what the store has. Slice them about ¼ inch thick so they don’t disappear.
- Yellow onion – One large one, sliced thin. A sweet onion works too.
- Garlic – Fresh cloves only. Jarred garlic tastes sour after a long bake.
- Butter and olive oil – Unsalted butter lets you control the seasoning. The oil keeps the butter from scorching.
- Dry white wine – Buy something you’d actually drink, dry and unoaked, like a Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio. Skip anything labeled “cooking wine,” because it’s already salted.
- Chicken broth – Use low-sodium so you’re doing the seasoning, not the carton.
- Heavy cream – Don’t swap in milk or half-and-half. They’re more likely to curdle in the oven with the wine’s acidity.
- Dijon mustard – Smooth Dijon. Whole-grain works if you like the texture, but skip yellow mustard.
- Fresh thyme – Dried works in a pinch. Use 1 teaspoon.
- Kosher salt – If you’re using table salt, cut the amount almost in half.
- Gruyère – Buy a block and shred it yourself, because pre-shredded cheese doesn’t melt as smoothly. If Gruyère costs too much, use Swiss or Comté, or go half Gruyère and half white cheddar.
- Fresh parsley – Flat-leaf. Curly parsley works but looks dated on top.
How to Make French Country Ground Pork and Potato Casserole
Scroll down for the full recipe card with exact measurements and printable instructions.
Heat the oven to 375°F and butter a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Peel and slice the potatoes if the skins are thick before you turn on the stove, so they’re ready when the sauce is.
Brown the pork in a large skillet over medium-high heat, breaking it into small pieces as it cooks. Season with ½ teaspoon salt and cook until deep brown with crispy edges, not just cooked through. Move it to a bowl and leave the fat and browned bits in the pan.
Add the olive oil and butter to the same skillet and cook the mushrooms for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the onions and cook another 3 to 4 minutes, until they start to soften. Then add the garlic and thyme and cook for 1 minute.
Pour in the wine and scrape the bottom of the pan hard with a wooden spoon. Let it simmer for 2 to 3 minutes, until the wine has reduced by about half.
Stir in the broth, cream and Dijon and bring it to a simmer. Season with the rest of the salt and the pepper, and thicken it with a cornstarch slurry made from 1 tablespoon of cornstarch and 2 tablespoons of water or broth. Then stir the browned pork back in.
Layer half the potatoes in the dish, overlapping them slightly, and spread half the pork mixture over them. Repeat with the remaining potatoes and pork. Cover tightly with foil and bake for 30 minutes.
Take off the foil, scatter the Gruyère evenly over the top and bake about 10 minutes more, until the potatoes are tender and the cheese is bubbling and golden.
Let it rest for 10 minutes so the sauce sets and the squares hold their shape when you cut them. Finish with parsley and a little more thyme.
Make It A Meal
Start with a small cup of Chef Jenn’s Famous French Onion Soup if you want to go all in on the French country theme. On the side, I want something sharp or green to cut the cream. Chef Jenn’s Braised Red Cabbage is my first choice, and Brussels Sprouts with Brown Butter & Almonds works when you want something roasted.
For dessert, finish with Chef Jenn’s Upside-Down Puff Pastry Apple Tart.
Storage
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. Reheat single portions covered at 350°F for 15 to 20 minutes, or in the microwave with a splash of broth. It freezes for up to 2 months. The potatoes come out a little softer after thawing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Replace the ½ cup of wine with more chicken broth plus 1 teaspoon of lemon juice or white wine vinegar, so the sauce still has some acidity.
Yes. Assemble it, cover it, and refrigerate it for up to 24 hours. Add 10 to 15 minutes to the covered bake time, since it’s going into the oven cold.
The slices were probably thicker than ⅛ inch. Cover the dish with foil again and bake 10 to 15 minutes more, until a knife slides through the middle layer easily.
No. Yukon Golds have thin skins, so you can scrub them well and leave the skins on for a more rustic casserole.
French Country Ground Pork and Potato Casserole Recipe
Ingredients
- 1½ pounds ground pork
- 2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes peeled and sliced ⅛-inch thick
- 8 ounces cremini mushrooms sliced
- 1 large yellow onion thinly sliced
- 6 cloves garlic finely minced
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ cup dry white wine
- ¾ cup chicken broth
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoons corn starch mixed with 2 tbsp of water to make a slurry
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
- 1 ¼ teaspoons Kosher salt divided
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 cup Gruyère cheese shredded
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking dish.
- Brown the ground pork in a large skillet over medium-high heat, breaking it into small pieces. Season with ½ teaspoon salt and cook until deeply browned. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
- Add the olive oil and butter to the same skillet. Cook the mushrooms for 3–4 minutes, then add the onions and cook 3–4 minutes more, until starting to soften.
- Add the garlic and thyme and cook for 1 minute.
- Deglaze the skillet with the white wine, scraping up any browned bits. Simmer for 2–3 minutes, until the wine is reduced by about half.
- Add the broth, cream and Dijon and bring to a simmer. Season with the remaining salt and the black pepper. Mix 1 tablespoon of cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of water to make a slurry, then stir that into the liquid. Then, stir in the browned pork and mix well.
- Layer half of the potatoes in the prepared baking dish, overlapping them slightly. Spread half of the pork mixture over the potatoes. Repeat with the remaining potatoes and pork mixture.
- Cover tightly with foil and bake for 30 minutes.
- Uncover and sprinkle evenly with the Gruyère.
- Bake about 10 minutes more, until the potatoes are tender and the cheese is bubbling and golden brown.
- Rest for 10 minutes before serving. Garnish with fresh parsley and additional thyme.
Notes
Recipe Card Tips
- Don’t rinse the potato slices after you’ve cut them. The starch on their surface helps thicken the cream sauce as it bakes.
- Spread the sauce all the way to the edges of each layer. Any potatoes on top that aren’t touching sauce will dry out and stay firm.
- Cheese not golden after 10 minutes? Put it under the broiler for 1 to 2 minutes and watch it the whole time.
Nutrition
A Note on Nutritional Information
Nutritional information for this recipe is provided as a courtesy and is calculated based on available online ingredient information. It is only an approximate value. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site cannot be guaranteed.