The meatballs are made from scratch here, not tipped out of a freezer bag: ground beef bound with egg and breadcrumbs, rolled into eighteen and baked on a sheet pan until browned.
While they bake, the potatoes boil and get mashed with butter and milk, and a three-ingredient cream sauce simmers on the side. Everything meets in a 9-by-13-inch dish for a final fifteen minutes under cheese.
Ingredient Notes
- Ground beef
- A pound and a half, bound with one egg and a third of a cup of breadcrumbs for 18 meatballs.
- Yukon Gold potatoes
- Two pounds, peeled and cut into chunks so they boil evenly.
- Salt and pepper, divided
- Half the salt and pepper season the meatballs, the rest goes into the mash.
How to Make It
Meatballs mixed and shaped
Heat the oven to 400°F. Mix the beef, egg, breadcrumbs, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper and garlic powder and shape into 18 meatballs.
Baked to 160°F
Arrange the meatballs on a lined sheet pan and bake 15 minutes, until browned and at least 160°F.
Potatoes boiled and mashed
Meanwhile boil the potatoes in salted water until tender, 15 to 18 minutes. Drain well, then mash with the butter, milk, remaining 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper.
Cream sauce simmered
Whisk the cream, beef broth and Dijon in a small saucepan and simmer 3 to 4 minutes, until slightly thickened.
Assembled in the dish
Spread the mash in a 9-by-13-inch dish, nestle in the meatballs, pour over the cream sauce and scatter with the cheese.
Baked until bubbling
Bake 15 to 18 minutes, until the sauce bubbles and the cheese is browned in spots. Finish with parsley.
Three Things Cooking at Once
The oven, the pot and the saucepan all run in parallel before assembly.
Stage 1 of 4
Sheet pan
Steps 1–2 of 6
Meatballs mixed, shaped and baked to 160°F.
- Meatballs mixed and shapedHeat the oven to 400°F. Mix the beef, egg, breadcrumbs, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper and garlic powder and shape into 18 meatballs.
- Baked to 160°FArrange the meatballs on a lined sheet pan and bake 15 minutes, until browned and at least 160°F.
Stage 2 of 4
Pot
Steps 3–3 of 6
Potatoes boiled and mashed with butter and milk.
- Potatoes boiled and mashedMeanwhile boil the potatoes in salted water until tender, 15 to 18 minutes. Drain well, then mash with the butter, milk, remaining 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper.
Stage 3 of 4
Saucepan
Steps 4–4 of 6
Cream, broth and Dijon simmered into a pourable sauce.
- Cream sauce simmeredWhisk the cream, beef broth and Dijon in a small saucepan and simmer 3 to 4 minutes, until slightly thickened.
Stage 4 of 4
Baking dish
Steps 5–6 of 6
Everything assembled and returned to the oven under cheese.
- Assembled in the dishSpread the mash in a 9-by-13-inch dish, nestle in the meatballs, pour over the cream sauce and scatter with the cheese.
- Baked until bubblingBake 15 to 18 minutes, until the sauce bubbles and the cheese is browned in spots. Finish with parsley.
Why This Recipe Works
- Baking the meatballs separately browns them and lets the fat drain before they meet the potatoes.
- Mashed potato makes a base sturdy enough to hold eighteen meatballs in place.
- Dijon in the cream sauce cuts through butter, cream and cheese all at once.
- A short second bake melts the cheese without drying the meatballs.
Success Tips
- Roll the meatballs to the same size so all eighteen reach 160°F together on the sheet pan.
- Drain the boiled potatoes thoroughly and let the steam escape before mashing, or the base turns loose.
- Press shallow wells into the mash before setting the meatballs in, so they sit rather than roll.
Serving Ideas
Serve three meatballs per plate with a scoop of the mash underneath and the cream sauce spooned over.
Storage and Reheating
Refrigerate
Refrigerate leftovers covered and reheat until the centre is hot, adding a splash of broth if the sauce has thickened.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use frozen meatballs?
This recipe uses homemade beef meatballs, baked to 160°F before they go into the dish.
What is the pale sauce?
Heavy cream, beef broth and Dijon mustard, simmered until slightly thickened.
