Worried about cooking with a little wine? Don’t be! I know that you have probably heard that the alcohol magically burns off during cooking, and that would certainly be true in a flambéed dish, where you actually set the alcohol in your pan on fire.

In this dish, however, the amount of alcohol is really quite small, compared with the volume of the other ingredients, so it will just add a richness to the taste, and it is totally safe for children to eat. Nobody will get drunk on this sauce – promise!

Try this recipe out on your family and friends soon. I guarantee that you will get head-shaking results and they will rave about your gourmet cooking skills.

 

INGREDIENTS

1 lb. ground beef

1 medium brown onion chopped

1 Tbsp. olive oil

pinch of kosher salt

pinch of ground black pepper

1 tsp garlic powder

2 Tbsp. flour

1/2 cup marsala wine

1/2 cup beef broth

1/2 cup cheddar cheese shredded

1 4.7 oz. box of scalloped potatoes

2/3 cup milk

2 cups boiling water

1 Tbsp. butter

parsley for garnish chopped

 

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 450°F. In a large skillet over medium high heat add the oil and sauté the onion for 3 minutes. Add the ground beef and break it up with a spoon and brown for several minutes.

Deglaze the pan with the marsala wine and reduce to half. Sprinkle the garlic powder and flour on top of meat and stir. Cook for 2 minutes and then add beef broth. Stir as sauce will thicken. Cook for 2 minutes.

Pour into a 9×9″ casserole dish (or 2 smaller individual ones) coated with cooking spray and add the cheddar cheese on top.

In a small bowl whisk together the milk, water, butter and sauce mix from scalloped potato box.

Sprinkle the scalloped potatoes on top of cheddar cheese and meat mixture and pour the milk mixture over all. Bake for 20 minutes uncovered or until top is golden brown and edges crispy. Top with parsley for garnish (optional) and serve.

 

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Quick Tip:  Although the packaged potatoes used in this recipe are convenient, if you don’t have any on-hand, you can thinly slice a large potato into a saucepan, adding 1 Tbsp. butter and milk just to cover. Bring to a low simmer over medium heat, stirring and cooking for about 8 minutes. Drain the milk off the potatoes and reserve it. Layer the potatoes on top of the cheese and meat, as called for in the recipe. Take 2/3 cup of the reserved milk and add any seasoning of your choice to replace the packet of spices in the packaged potatoes. Pour the milk mixture on top and then bake casserole, uncovered for about 20 minutes, until brown and bubbly.

Recipe and photo courtesy of Kevin at keviniscooking.com