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Main Dish

Root Cellar Hotdish

This is a straightforward layered casserole built from whatever's kept well in the cellar through winter — potatoes, carrots, and parsnips — over a simple ground beef base. It belongs to the same family of dishes that show up at potlucks and church suppers across the northern plains, where a single dish needs to feed a crowd, hold its heat on the drive over, and reheat just as well the next day. There's nothing fussy about it: the vegetables are sliced thin so they cook through in the time it takes the cheese on top to turn golden, and the canned soup base is there because it works, not because it needs dressing up. It's the kind of dinner that reheats well, so it's worth making the full pan even for a smaller household, since leftovers hold their texture in the fridge for a few days without the potatoes turning mushy the way they can in a stew.

Top view of a tasty casserole and roll on a burlap surface, perfect brunch setup
Prep Time25 min
Cook Time45 min
Total Time1 hr 10 min
Servings6 servings
CategoryMain Dish

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 lb ground beef
  • 1 medium onion, diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 3 medium potatoes, thinly sliced
  • 2 carrots, thinly sliced
  • 1 parsnip, thinly sliced
  • 1 can (10.5 oz) condensed cream of mushroom soup
  • 1/2 cup beef stock
  • 1 tsp dried thyme
  • Salt and black pepper, to taste
  • 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 375°F and grease a 9x13-inch baking dish.
  2. In a skillet over medium heat, brown the ground beef with the onion and garlic, breaking up the meat as it cooks, about 8 minutes. Drain excess fat.
  3. Stir the thyme, salt, and pepper into the beef mixture, then remove from heat.
  4. Whisk together the condensed soup and beef stock in a small bowl until smooth.
  5. Layer half the sliced potatoes, carrots, and parsnip in the baking dish. Spoon half the beef mixture over the top, then pour half the soup mixture over that.
  6. Repeat with the remaining vegetables, beef, and soup mixture.
  7. Cover tightly with foil and bake for 35 minutes, until the vegetables are nearly tender.
  8. Remove the foil, scatter the cheddar evenly over the top, and bake uncovered for another 10 to 15 minutes, until the cheese is golden and the vegetables are fully tender.
  9. Let rest for 10 minutes before serving.
Kitchen Note: Slice the potatoes as evenly as you can — a mandoline makes this fast and keeps the layers cooking at the same rate.

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