Jauhelihaperunasoselaatikko – fun Finnish word 😀 It means minced beef and mashed potato casserole. It’s not fancy, but it’s tasty. This was one of my favorite school lunches when I was still at school.

This is an excellent way to use if you have leftover mashed potatoes. If I cook food with what I serve as a side dish, mashed potato, I make quite an extra amount of mashed potatoes to make his casserole the next day. To make this vegetarian, use soy or whatever replacement protein you are used to have. This is the basic recipe. If you want to use other spices or herbs, go ahead! Ham or leftover chicken works in this, too. Sometimes, I add grated cheese on top if I have that.

We like to serve this with pickled cucumber or red beet. Grated carrot salad is also quite traditional but do as you want. There are no rules about how you should eat it. I like to put ketchup on top!

So, without any longer discussions, here’s the recipe:

Ingredients:

6 servings

• 1 kg potatoes
• 50 g butter or margarine
• 2-3 dl milk
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 tbs majoram
• 400 g minced meat
• 1 onion
• pinch of nutmeg
• little ground all-spice
• 1 tsp paprika powder
• ½ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp mixed pepper or black pepper powder
• 2 eggs

Instructions:

1. Boil peeled and chopped potatoes in salted water (or use left over mashed potatoes)
2. Mash the potatoes.
3. Add butter or margarine, salt, and milk to the mashed potatoes until it becomes a creamy consistency.
4. Fry minced meat and finely chopped onion, season with salt, paprika powder, and mixed pepper.
5. Combine the minced meat and onion mixture with the mashed potatoes.
6. Crack two eggs into the mixture and mix until smooth.
7. Pour the mixture into a greased baking dish.
8. Bake in a preheated oven at 200 degrees Celsius for about 45 minutes.
9. Remove from the oven when the top is golden brown. Allow it to cool for a moment before serving.