French Country Ground Pork and Potato Casserole Recipe
A French-inspired ground pork and potato casserole made with browned mushrooms, onions, garlic, fresh thyme, and a white wine cream sauce, finished with Gruyère cheese. About 25 minutes of hands-on work, and the oven does the rest
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 675kcal
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
Serving: 1.5cups | Calories: 675kcal | Carbohydrates: 33g | Protein: 32g | Fat: 45g | Saturated Fat: 20g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 18g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 138mg | Sodium: 792mg | Potassium: 1278mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 799IU | Vitamin C: 37mg | Calcium: 301mg | Iron: 3mg