I remember this dish from my childhood, when we often had potato bake at home. My mother used to put a lot of onions and fried pork ham in them and we just loved them. I invented a slightly healthier and much more nutritious version for my family, which we are excited too! We replace some of the potatoes with cauliflower and use my lovely herby minced pork- instead of ham. But the most important thing is still the same though, and that's the onions fried in lard!!
When making this potato dish, make sure to fry the onions really well, especially in a generous amount of lard. It gives the baked potatoes the best taste, that I know you're gonna love! And if you like onions as much as I do, double the amount of them!
Have you tried my Homemade pork sausage with herbs? It's the biggest lifesaver on busy days! Just take the meat out of the freezer and you can whip up a yummy dinner in minutes. In this recipe, I use it in a casserole dish, in which it works wonderfully.
Which potatoes to use for baking?
It is best to use Red, Russet or Yellow potatoes. They are still firm even after boiling and then baking. But they also contain a good amount of starch and will develop a great crust when baked.
What vegetables can I add to potato bake?
The potato bake can also be enriched with various vegetables. Just think about little peas, corn, finely chopped garlic or diced red pepper.
Instead of cauliflower, you can also use sliced sweet potatoes, pumpkin, broccoli, kale, or you can perfectly use up the zucchini overflow harvest you have every year!
Which cheese is recommended for baking?
If you want beautifully melted, bubbling cheese on your potato bake with deliciously sizzling sides, always reach for -a full-fat cheese with at least 45% fat in dry matter . It is the fat that makes the cheese melt beautifully, stretchy and with a rich cheesy flavor.
You can definitely use the Gouda and Parmesan cheese combo, which is absolutely amazing and one of my favorites. Other great options are cheddar, full-fat Edam, Swiss cheese, mozzarella or their smoked variations. If you like mold cheeses like blue cheese, Camembert, Brie or Gorgonzola, these are usually also fatty enough to give the dish a more pronounced flavor.
What are the best herbs and spices for potato and cauliflower bake?
I use only salt and pepper in this recipe, because the minced meat (sausage) is already flavored enough with herbs. But feel free to add herbs and various spices to the potatoes or egg mixture.
I can recommend adding caraway seeds to the cooking water along with the potatoes and cauliflower to reduce the bloating effects of these vegetables. Also, my mom always put some ground paprika on top of the potatoes before baking to bring a nice color to the dish!
How to make potato, cauliflower and minced pork bake?
Drain the cooked potatoes and cauliflower and let the excess water evaporate. In the meantime, fry the chopped onion in a large frying pan in oil or lard until golden brown, add the Homemade pork sausage with herbs (you can use it straight from the freezer) and let it warm up together.
Grease a baking pan (I use a cast iron pan) with butter, put the cooked potatoes and cauliflower in it, season with salt and pepper and mix well. Then add the meat and onions mixture from the pan and mix again. Add most of the cheese to the pan and stir again.
Bake in an oven heated to 180°C for approximately 30-40 minutes until golden brown. Towards the end of baking, you can test if it's cooked through by sticking a knife into the center of the baking dish. If the egg is still raw, bake for another 5-10 minutes and check again.
The baked potatoes with cauliflower and pork can be garnished with chopped fresh herbs.
TIPS:
- if you do not have this awesome homemade pork sausage with herbs, which I highly recommend to always have on hand, you can fry about 300-400 g of minced pork meat along with onions and add spices to taste
- oregano, sage, rosemary, thyme or basil are all great options
- for a vegetarian version you can replace the meat with a crumbled or cubed tofu - a combination of natural and smoked tofu would be great
- if you're making a vegetarian version, add more spices, salt and fat , because tofu itself doesn't have much flavor
Recipe
Recipe for 6-8 servings
Potato, cauliflower and minced pork bake
Ingredients:
- 750 g potatoes (Yellow, Red or Russet potatoes)
- 750 g cauliflower, cut into florets
- 5 eggs
- 100 ml milk
- salt and pepper
- fresh herbs for garnish
- 50-100 g of Cheddar cheese or Gouda
- 1 large onion, finely chopped
- 300-400 g Homemade pork sausage or minced meat
- olive oil or lard for frying
- butter for greasing the pan
Instructions:
- Peel the potatoes and cut into pieces approximately 2-3 cm in size. In a large pot, boil the potatoes in salted water for approximately 5-10 minutes until semi-soft. Then add the cauliflower, which has been cut into florets and washed, and cook for another 3-5 minutes.
- Drain the cooked potatoes and cauliflower and let the excess water evaporate.
- In the meantime, fry the chopped onion in a large frying pan in oil or lard until golden brown, add the Homemade pork sausage with herbs (you can use it straight from the freezer) and let it warm up together. Or fry about 300-400 g of minced pork meat along with onions and add spices to taste. Oregano, sage, rosemary, thyme or basil are all great options.
- Grease a baking pan with butter, put the cooked potatoes and cauliflower in it, season with salt and pepper and mix well.
- Then add the meat and onions mixture from the pan and mix again. Add most of the cheese to the pan and stir again.
- Beat the eggs in a large bowl, add salt, pepper, milk and whisk really well. Pour this mixture over the potatoes in the baking dish and top with the rest of the cheese. Finally, add the pieces of butter, or drizzle the top with oil.
- Bake in an oven heated to 180°C for approximately 30-40 minutes until golden brown. Towards the end of baking, you can test if it's cooked through by sticking a knife into the center of the baking dish. If the egg is still raw, bake for another 5-10 minutes and check again.
- The baked potatoes with cauliflower and pork can be garnished with chopped fresh herbs.
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