Sicilian Gatto

This is one of the first recipes and one of my favorite things that I learned to cook when I lived in Italy.  It’s a potato and ground beef casserole.  The mashed potatoes have extra flavor by adding cream cheese and grated parmesan cheese along with the normal butter and milk.  And the ground beef filling works beautifully with the rest of the dish.  The original recipe calls for peas, but neither Kurt nor Drew like them, so I substitute carrots instead.  I imagine you can play with any of your favorite veggies.  The casserole has a few steps to it, but it's just steps, nothing complicated, and I guarantee it's worth it.  It's filling.  It makes a lot, and the flavors have time to incorporate overnight, making extra yummy leftovers.  

Recipe for Sicilian Gatto:

Ingredients: 

• 10 russet potatoes

• 1 cup milk

• 4 ounces cream cheese, softened

• 8 tablespoons butter, softened

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• freshly ground black pepper, to taste

• 1/4 cup grated paremsan cheese

• 1-2 tablespoons olive oil

• 1 small onion, finely chopped

• 2 lbs ground beef

• 1 1/2 cups marinara sauce

• 1/2 peas

• 2 beef bouillon cubes, minced, I like Knorr

• 3-4 tablespoons bread crumbs, divided in half

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  

1. To make potatoes:

   Peel and quarter potatoes.  Put in pot with enough water to cover (with a little salt).  Bring to boil.  Reduce heat to medium and cook for 20-25 minutes or until tender.  Drain them.  Return them to your pot.  Using a hand mixer mash them.  Add in the milk and mash a little more to combine.  Add the cream cheese, butter, salt, pepper and grated parmesan, and mix until smooth.  Set aside.  

2. To make meat:

   Sauté onion in olive oil until browned and soft.  Add ground beef and brown.  Add marinara sauce, peas, and beef bouillon cubes.  Cook on medium heat, stirring for 5 minutes.  Bring to boil, cover and reduce heat to low to simmer for 20 minutes.  When done, mixture shouldn’t be runny.  If it is, cook uncovered until it thickens.  Set aside. 

3. Combine:

   Prep a 9X13 inch baking dish by coating it with a thin layer of olive oil and then half of the bread crumbs (to lightly form a bottom crust).  Next layer half the mashed potatoes in the dish.  Next, using a slotted spoon to drain any remaining liquid, add all of the meat mixture.  (Some liquid is ok.  You just don’t want it too runny).  Last, top the meat mixture with the remaining half of the potatoes.  Coat the potatoes with a thin layer of olive oil and the remaining breadcrumbs.  

4. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes or until bubbly in corners and browned on top.  You can always put it under the broiler on high for a minute or two to brown it if needed.  Let sit 15 minutes before serving.