This is a simple meal that's fast and easy to make with ingredients you probably have on hand. The dish starts on the top of the stove and moves to the oven, giving you some hands-off time to make a salad to round out the meal. Although the beef and waffle fry bake is great for kids, adults like it too. It's comfort food! The base tastes like a hamburger with "all the fixings," and the topping is simply waffle fries--yes, the frozen ones, from the bag--which crisp up in the oven and then are topped with melted cheese. Enjoy!
Ground Beef and Waffle Fry Bake -- Serves 4+
1 medium chopped onion
1/4 cup of chopped celery (about 1 stalk)
1/2 teaspoon of salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon of pepper
1 - 1 1/2 pounds of lean ground beef (93 percent)
1/4 cup of flour
2 tablespoons of Dijon mustard
1/2 cup of ketchup
1/2 cup of water
1/4 cup of pickle relish (sweet or dill, whatever you like)
1/2 cup of sour cream (light is fine)
20-24 ounce bag of frozen waffle fries
1 - 1 1/2 cups of shredded cheddar or Colby-Jack cheese
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and heat a large chef's pan or skillet on the top of the stove over medium-high heat. Add the oil, and when the oil is hot, add the onion, celery, and 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Saute the vegetables for a few minutes or until they start to soften. Crumble in the ground beef, and sprinkle on 1/4 teaspoon of salt, the garlic powder, and the pepper and cook the beef with the vegetables for 5-8 minutes until the beef is mostly done. Sprinkle on the flour, a little at a time, stirring it into the beef and vegetables. Stir in the Dijon, the ketchup, the water, and the pickle relish. Turn down the heat, and continue cooking the mixture for about five minutes to let the flavors blend. Turn off the heat and stir in the sour cream. Distribute the waffle fries evenly over the top of the beef mixture, pressing them down just a bit into the mixture (enough so they don't fall off when you put the pan in the oven and remove it). Place the pan in the oven and let it cook for 15-20 minutes or until the waffle fries are done. Pull the pan from the oven and sprinkle the cheese evenly over the waffle fries. Return the pan to the oven for five minutes or so or until the cheese has melted. Remove the pan from the oven and let the dish cool a few minutes before serving it from the pan.
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