Meat Gratin

The thyme and the wine will give meat gratin a French countryside touch. A full homemade dish. It’s perfect with a green salad. If I have mashed potatoes or ground meat in the fridge, it’s always a sign that I should prepare this gratin!

INGREDIENTS

For the meat:
about 1 1/2 pounds of ground beef
4 slices of bacon
2 chopped onions
4 cloves of garlic
1 handful of chopped parsley
1 thyme sprig
1 cup of white wine
2 tablespoons of tomato juice
2 tablespoons of olive oil
pepper
salt

For the filling:
6 potatoes
1 cup of hot milk
2 tablespoons of butter
1 bay leaf chopped

For assembly:
1/2 cup grated Gruyere cheese

PREPARATION

For the mashed potatoes:
Cook the potatoes with the bay leaf and salt until smooth. Drain and mash, adding milk, butter and the salt until creamy.

For the meat:
Fry bacon in olive oil and onion until brown. Add garlic and cook meat. Add wine and cook until it evaporates. Add tomato juice, parsley, thyme, salt and pepper to taste until well cooked.

Putting it together:
In a buttered bowl spread half of the mashed potatoes, cover with a layer of meat and spread over the rest of the puree, adding grated cheese on top. Bake until brown.