Chavi Feldman
Written for Mishpacha Magazine
For all those meat-and-potato lovers, this one’s for you!
There’s no better combo than creamy potatoes loaded with crispy bits of smoky meat and fried onions. Needless to say, this is one dish that will have many happy customers lining up for more!
Ingredients:
12oz beef fry, diced
5lb Yukon gold potatoes, peeled
salt and black pepper, for seasoning
3/4 cup french-fried onions, divided
6 Tbsp margarine
6 Tbsp flour
3 cups boiling water
4 tsp chicken soup mix
paprika, for sprinkling
Preheat oven to 350.
Place the diced beef fry into a large frying pan. Cook over low heat for about 5 minutes, or until some of the fat has melted and greased the pan. Raise to medium heat and cook, stirring frequently, for about 20-25 minutes or until the beef fry crisps up.
Remove pan from heat and place the beef fry into a small dish or aluminum pan, straining out all the grease through the finely meshed strainer. Set aside.
While beef fry is cooking, slice potatoes thinly in a food processor on slow speed, using medium pressure. Arrange a layer of sliced potatoes in a well-greased 9×13 inch baking pan or Pyrex dish. Sprinkle with salt and season lightly with black pepper. Continue layering potatoes, salt, and pepper. After about 1/3 of the potato slices have been placed into the dish, sprinkle 2-3 tbsp of french-fried onions and 1-2 tbsp of beef fry evenly over the potatoes.
Continue layering another 1/3 of potatoes, then beef fry and onions. Top with remaining potatoes, making sure to season each layer with salt and black pepper. Reserve some beef fry and onions for topping.
To create the sauce, melt margarine in a small pot. Add flour and stir quickly. Add boiling water and chicken soup mix, whisking to break up any lumps. Cook on medium heat until slightly thickened, hot, and bubbly, but making sure it’s still thin enough to pour.
Pour sauce over potatoes and sprinkle with some paprika, remaining beef fry, and french-fried onions. Bake uncovered for 1 hour 20 minutes, or until tender and golden brown.
