Spicy beef and hash brown casserole

I’m all for moderation and trying to be healthy but this spicy beef and hash brown casserole is one of my few recipes where I’ll assert that you should use a good quality, full fat beef!  Thanks to Joe Wicks I know it’s possible to have a six pack and still eat doughnuts (even if I haven’t succeeded personally). This is one of those dishes where it’s really worth bringing out the devil!  This is a recipe I’ve made for a few years now and it’s always been a good, tasty, wholesome meal. But this updated version is an absolutely amazing dish!

Whenever I cook with minced beef I nearly always use the extra lean variety (about 5% fat) but my local store didn’t have any in stock the last time I made this casserole. Indeed, they only had the full monty – Aberdeen Angus 15% beef mince! So, I thought, as a special treat, “why not?”  And I’m so glad I did. The full fat mince makes this spicy beef and hash brown casserole such an incredibly rich, filling meal that it’s probably sneaked into my top five favourite home cooked meals.

If you don’t have hash brownies, then these work just as well with potato rostis or potato croquettes.

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Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 17½ ounces / 500g minced beef
• 1 tin chopped tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce
• ½ tablespoon of Coleman’s mustard
• 2 tablespoons of sriracha
• ½ teaspoon of smoked garlic powder
• 2¾ ounces / 75g grated cheddar
• 1lb 10½ ounces / 750g frozen hash browns

Method

Preheat the oven to the temperature indicated on the hash brown packet (mine was 200°C / 392°F or 180°C / 356°F fan).

Heat the oil in a large oven proof frying pan and fry the onion for 7 minutes.

Add the garlic and fry for a further minute before adding the beef, breaking up and browning all over.

In a jug mix the Worcestershire sauce, mustard, sriracha and garlic powder and then add to the pan.

Stir well to combine and allow to simmer for 5 minutes, stirring constantly.

Add 65g / 2¼ ounces of the cheese and give a good stir.

Rest your hash browns on top of the casserole and then pop into the oven for the length of time indicated.

Remove and sprinkle with the remainder of the cheese.

TRY BEEF RAGÙ