Quarantine has given us all the excuses we didn’t need to start baking like we’ve never baked before. We all suddenly think we’re top chefs, which is great, because we’re trying things we never would have tried otherwise.

One quarantine-friendly recipe that is absolutely guaranteed to go down a treat is the gratin parmentier. Don’t be put off by the fancy name – this dish is surprisingly easy to make, and you only need a handful of ingredients.

If you hadn’t already guessed, the gratin parmentier is a French dish. A gratin is a a dish that is topped with breadcrumbs or melted cheese, and “parmentier” essentially means “cooked or served with potatoes” – so that should make the dish a little easier to understand. If not, we’ll give you a clue: there are cheese and potatoes involved!

To make this recipe yourself, you’ll need to be a meat-lover, as meatballs are also a key ingredient in the dish. You will also need a bit of creativity if you want to make the dish look pretty!

Here’s everything you will need:

The dish:

• 3 potatoes, peeled (but not chopped) and boiled
• 1 white onion
• 1 pack ground beef
• 1 teaspoon chopped parsley
• 1 pinch paprika
• 1 large bag shredded mozzarella
• Béchamel sauce
• salt
• pepper

To make the béchamel sauce:

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

Let’s get started!

1. First up, it’s time to make the béchamel sauce. In a medium saucepan, melt your butter on a medium-low heat. Then add the flour and stir to form a paste. Lightly toast your flour – this should take around 6 minutes.

2. Heat your milk in a separate pan while you wait. It needs to hit boiling temperature. After that, slowly pour it into your pan with the butter and flour, stirring to mix. Bring the whole thing to a boil and stir constantly for around 10 minutes until the mixture thickens.

3. Now for the fun part: making the meatballs. Set your oven to 400 degrees to give it time to warm up. Then throw your beef, chopped parsley and paprika into a big mixing bowl. Add salt and pepper to taste, then combine the ingredients with a wooden spoon.

4. Set the bowl aside and place your peeled potatoes into a pan of boiling water. Cook until soft, then chop into slices. Arrange them around the bottoms and the sides of a baking dish.

5. Return to your meat mixture and form into lots of little meatballs. You’re aiming for around 12 evenly shaped balls. Then place them neatly on top of your potatoes in the dish.

6. Use your spare potatoes to surround the meatballs, creating little barriers between them. Then pour your béchamel sauce evenly over each meatball and top with mozzarella cheese.

7. Put the dish in your oven and bake for around 15 minutes. And that’s all it takes! Remove from the oven and enjoy.

This French dish is great for making as a side plate for large gatherings, but we don’t blame you if you attempt to eat the whole thing in one sitting. The herbiness of the meat contrasts perfectly with the creaminess of the béchamel sauce and the crispness of the baked cheese on top. This is the sort of dish you’d hope to find in heaven.

What’s for sure, once you make this recipe once, you’ll be sure to return to it time and time again. If you don’t believe us, give it a go yourself today!

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Source: Sweet and Savory, YouTube