There is always so much to learn in the kitchen, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. But if you’re hoping to get your hands dirty with a simpler recipe, then you have come to the right place!

Rather than trying a recipe that is simple and boring, let’s try something simple and fun. Today, we’ll be sharing an easy, yet delicious, French recipe — Gratin Parmentier. While it sounds incredibly fancy, it’s simply a potato dish.

In case you’re unfamiliar, gratin means to brown. It involves browning a crust like breadcrumbs or cheese. Parmentier is a dish made or served with potatoes. Now, if you’re from America, you’re probably thinking, potatoes gratin! If so, you’d be correct.

Okay, so enough with the chit chat! Let’s get started!

Ingredients:

• 3 potatoes, peeled and boiled
• 1 white onion
• 1 package of ground beef
• 1 teaspoon of chopped parsley
• 1 pinch of paprika
• 1 large bag of shredded mozzarella
• bechamel sauce
• salt
• pepper

Béchamel sauce:

• 5 tablespoons of butter
• 4 tablespoons of all-purpose flour
• 4 cups of milk
• 2 teaspoons of salt
• 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg

Instructions:

1. First, let’s start with making the béchamel sauce. Melt the butter over medium-low heat. Next, add in flour and stir until smooth. Continue cooking until it turns a light golden color — about 6 to 7 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, heat your milk in another pan until almost boiling. When hot, gradually add milk, one cup at a time to the flour and butter mixture. Whisk continuously until smooth. Once all of the milk is added, bring to a boil and cook for 10 minutes. Stir constantly. When finished, add salt and nutmeg.

3. Next, preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Then, mix the ground beef with onion, paprika, chopped parsley, salt, and pepper. Make sure to give it a good mix!

4. After the meat is mixed, peel 3 potatoes and boil until semi-soft — about 7 minutes. When they are ready, take them out and slice them. Next, arrange them in the bottom of a glass baking dish. Lay one layer on the bottom and arrange the other layer along the sides.

5. Then, work meat mixture into ice cream-sized meatballs. You should be able to make approximately 15 meatballs. Arrange them on the slices of potatoes in the glass dish.

6. Once the meatballs have been laid, place the remaining potato slices between the meatballs to create “compartments” around the meatballs. Then, pour the béchamel sauce into each compartment until relatively full. Top with a thin layer of shredded mozzarella cheese.

7. Finally, place the dish into the preheated oven and bake for 15 minutes.

When it’s finished cooking, you’ll have a cheesy French casserole dish to devour!

Hopefully, this recipe is simple (and tasty) enough to get you started in the kitchen. Bon appétit, friends!

If you’d like to have more of a visual aid, you can watch the video below to see the recipe being made!

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Sources: Sylvain chabarot, Sweet and Savory