Hearty Dutch Escarole Gratin with Potatoes, Bacon & Creamy Ground Beef
Warm, comforting, and packed with irresistible flavor, this Dutch Escarole Gratin with Potato and Bacon is a true winter warmer. This hearty casserole masterfully brings together tender escarole (also known as endive), savory ground beef, and a rich, creamy cheese sauce, all crowned with perfectly baked potato slices and crispy bacon. It’s a complete main course that bakes to golden perfection in the oven, offering a delightful blend of textures and tastes that will satisfy even the biggest appetites. Easy to prepare and incredibly satisfying, this escarole potato bake is destined to become a cherished family favorite for those chilly evenings when you crave a truly special comfort meal.
About This Delicious Dutch Escarole Gratin
Escarole, known as “andijvie” in Dutch, is a vibrant leafy green vegetable that truly shines in season. While traditionally enjoyed raw in a classic Dutch “stamppot” (a mashed potato and vegetable stew) – a firm family favorite in many homes – I found myself inspired to transform this versatile green into a comforting oven-baked casserole. This dish takes the familiar, wholesome flavors of Dutch cuisine and elevates them into a hearty gratin, a true testament to how simple, quality ingredients can create extraordinary meals.
After some delightful experimentation and a few personal adjustments to balance the flavors, this escarole gratin became an instant hit. It offers a wonderful, warming alternative to our beloved traditional stamppot, bringing a new dimension to how we enjoy escarole. This recipe embraces the best of Dutch culinary traditions, combining robust ingredients to create a deeply satisfying main course. It’s more than just a casserole; it’s a culinary journey that celebrates the humble escarole in a rich and flavorful context, making it perfect for sharing with loved ones.
The Anatomy of Flavor: Three Irresistible Layers
What makes this escarole gratin truly special is its thoughtfully constructed layers, each contributing a unique element to the overall flavor and texture profile. It’s a symphony of tastes, carefully built to ensure every bite is bursting with deliciousness and comfort.
- The Creamy Escarole Foundation: The foundational layer features tender, slightly wilted escarole, generously enveloped in a rich and creamy cheese sauce. This base offers a delightful balance, with the escarole’s characteristic mild bitterness mellowed by the luscious dairy and savory cheese. It creates a surprisingly vibrant and flavorful bed for the robust layers above.
- The Savory Ground Beef Heart: Next comes a generous layer of perfectly seasoned ground beef. Cooked until golden brown and infused with a hint of sweet soy sauce, this layer provides a deeply savory and umami-rich core that anchors the entire dish. It’s the hearty backbone that makes this casserole a fulfilling and satisfying main course.
- The Golden Potato & Crispy Bacon Topping: The grand finale is a beautiful topping of thinly sliced, par-boiled potatoes, arranged artfully. These are then crowned with smoky, crispy bacon pieces and a generous sprinkle of more melting cheese. As it bakes, the potatoes achieve a wonderfully crispy, golden-brown exterior while remaining soft and tender inside. The bacon turns irresistibly crunchy, and the cheese melts into a bubbly, golden crust. This top layer offers a crucial textural contrast and an explosion of flavor that truly completes this incredible gratin.
This meticulous layering ensures a harmonious blend of creamy, savory, tender, and crispy elements, transforming simple ingredients into a dish you’ll undoubtedly want to enjoy again and again!
Essential Ingredients for Your Hearty Escarole Potato Bake
Crafting this incredibly delicious Escarole Gratin with Potato and Bacon requires a selection of fresh, high-quality ingredients. Each component plays a crucial role in building the robust flavors and comforting textures of this Dutch-inspired casserole. Below is a detailed look at what you’ll need, with precise measurements available in the printable recipe card further down the page. Remember, quality ingredients make all the difference in a dish this simple and satisfying.
- Potatoes – For the best gratin texture, opt for floury or starchy potatoes. Varieties like Russet, Yukon Gold, Maris Piper, or King Edward are excellent choices as they become wonderfully tender and slightly creamy when cooked, forming a cohesive top layer. We par-boil the thinly sliced potatoes for about 10 minutes. This crucial step ensures they are half-cooked, allowing them to finish perfectly in the oven – achieving a desirable crispy, golden-brown exterior while maintaining a soft, fluffy interior. It’s the secret to a perfect potato gratin topping that complements the other rich layers.
- Escarole (or Endive) – This vibrant green leafy vegetable belongs to the chicory family, sharing its characteristic peppery and slightly bitter notes. While it resembles a robust salad green, its flavor is distinctly more assertive, which mellows beautifully when cooked. Escarole can be enjoyed raw in salads, lightly sautéed, or fully cooked and tender, as it is in this comforting casserole. If fresh escarole is hard to find, good substitutes include curly endive or even hearty greens like kale for a slightly different, yet equally delicious, twist.
- Ground Beef (Minced Beef) – Our recipe primarily uses lean ground beef for its rich, savory flavor and satisfying texture. However, this dish is wonderfully adaptable to your preferences. Feel free to substitute with ground pork, ground chicken, or even a blend of meats to suit your taste. The key is to use natural, unseasoned ground meat, allowing you full control over the spice and flavor profile of the dish with your chosen seasonings.
- Kecap Manis – A cornerstone of Indonesian cuisine, Kecap Manis is a thick, syrupy sweet soy sauce with a distinct dark color and a rich, molasses-like sweetness. It’s essential for adding a unique depth of flavor and a touch of umami to the ground beef layer. If you don’t have Kecap Manis on hand, you can easily create a suitable substitute by mixing one tablespoon of regular all-purpose soy sauce with two teaspoons of brown sugar. This blend will mimic its sweet and savory profile effectively.
- Sour Cream – Integral to our creamy sauce, sour cream adds a delightful tang and luxurious body. It creates a smooth, velvety texture that coats the escarole beautifully and helps bind the sauce together, ensuring a rich and cohesive layer that contributes to the overall comfort of the dish.
- Cheese – The right cheese is paramount for a gratin that boasts both incredible flavor and a beautifully melted, golden crust. We recommend using a flavorful, good-melting cheese. Grated Gouda, a classic Dutch cheese, is an excellent first choice, offering a mild, nutty flavor. Sharp cheddar is another fantastic option for a more robust taste and excellent melt. For those desiring an even richer, deeper cheese flavor, consider varieties like Emmentaler or Gruyère, which provide a more complex and aromatic profile. Don’t be shy with the cheese – it’s key to the gratin’s comforting appeal!
- Eggs – Large eggs are incorporated into the sour cream mixture to act as a crucial binding agent. They help set the creamy escarole layer, ensuring that the sauce holds together perfectly during baking and provides a stable, flavorful base for the layers above. This prevents the casserole from becoming watery.
- Oil – Any neutral-flavored vegetable oil, such as canola, sunflower, or grapeseed oil, will work perfectly for browning the ground beef. Just a tablespoon is needed to start building that savory base and ensuring the meat cooks evenly.
Step-by-Step Preparation Guide: Escarole Potato Bake
Creating this delicious Escarole Potato Bake is a straightforward process, designed for home cooks of all skill levels. Follow these simple steps to assemble your hearty casserole, and remember that a detailed, printable recipe card with exact measurements and cooking tips can be found at the very end of this post. Get ready to enjoy a truly satisfying meal that comes together with ease!
- Mix the sour cream, eggs, and ¾ of the grated cheese in a bowl.
- Slice the escarole thinly and wash thoroughly. Place the escarole in a hot skillet with a splash of water and stir until slightly wilted. Put a lid on the frying pan and let simmer for 5 minutes. Mix this tenderized escarole with the sour cream cheese mixture and spread evenly into your oven dish as the first layer.
- Mix the ground beef with the sweet Kecap Manis and fry in a separate skillet until thoroughly browned and cooked. Drain any excess fat, then add this flavorful ground beef as a second layer to the casserole dish, spreading it evenly over the escarole.
- Peel and slice the potatoes thinly (about ¼ inch or 0.5 cm). Cook them in boiling water for 10 minutes until half-done; then drain well. Arrange the par-boiled potato slices neatly over the ground beef layer. Finally, sprinkle the bacon strips and the remaining cheese on top, ensuring good coverage. Bake the casserole for 35 minutes at 430 °F (220 °C) (or 390°F / 200°C for convection) until the cheese is melted, golden, and bubbly, and the potatoes are tender and crisp.
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📖 Recipe
VIDEO
RECIPE CARD
Andréa
Pin Recipe
Equipment
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A conventional oven is used. When using a convection oven (with air fan) decrease the temperature with 30 °F / 20 °C
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casserole pan 13 x 9 inch
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frying pan
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Chef’s knife
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Large mixing bowl
Ingredients
- 2.2 lbs potatoes, peeled, washed, cut into ¼ inch (0.5 cm) slices
- 1.1 lbs ground beef
- 3 tablespoons Kecap Manis, sweet
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1.1 lbs escarole, washed and sliced thinly
- 1 cup sour cream
- 3½ oz. cheese, Gouda, grated
- 4 eggs , size L
- 9 oz. bacon, sliced in strips
All my recipes are written both in Metric (gram / ml) and US Customary (cups / pounds). Here you can select which type of amount you would like to see.
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 430 °F (220 °C).
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Boil the potatoes for 10 minutes in boiling water.2.2 lbs potatoes
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Drain and let slightly cool.
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Mix the ground beef with the Kecap Manis.1.1 lbs ground beef, 3 tablespoons Kecap Manis
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Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a skillet and fry the ground beef until brown and done.1 tablespoon oil
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Remove the meat from the pan and keep it aside.
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Put the escarole in the hot frying pan (with adjacent water) and stir briefly.1.1 lbs escarole
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Then put the lid on the pan and let simmer for 5 minutes.
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Meanwhile, mix the sour cream, 4 eggs, and ¾ of the grated cheese in a bowl.1 cup sour cream, 4 eggs, 3½ oz. cheese
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Remove the endive from the heat and stir in the sour cream mixture.
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In the baking dish, put the escarole mixture as the first layer. Flatten with the back of a spoon.
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Spread the beef on top of the endive layer.
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Cover it with slices of potato.
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Sprinkle with the bacon and remaining cheese.9 oz. bacon
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Place the dish in the oven and bake for 35 minutes.
Notes
2. Escarole (or Endive) – This versatile green, part of the chicory family, has a distinct peppery and slightly bitter flavor that softens considerably when cooked. It’s a wonderful contrast to the rich, creamy elements of the dish. While escarole is perfect here, you can easily substitute it with curly endive or even heartier greens such as kale, though the flavor profile will vary slightly. Ensure your escarole is well-washed and thinly sliced for the best integration into the casserole.
3. Kecap Manis – This unique sweet Indonesian soy sauce is crucial for the savory-sweet balance of the ground beef layer. Its thick consistency and caramel-like notes provide an authentic depth. If you cannot find it, a simple yet effective substitute is to combine 1 tablespoon of regular soy sauce with 2 teaspoons of brown sugar. This will give you a similar sweet and umami kick.
4. Cheese – For that perfectly melted, gooey, and golden-brown topping, select a cheese known for both its melting quality and robust flavor. Grated Gouda is highly recommended for its classic taste and smooth melt. Alternatively, sharp Cheddar offers a bolder flavor, while Emmentaler or Gruyère can introduce a more complex, nutty profile for cheese enthusiasts. Feel free to use a blend for even more depth!
5. Vegetarian Version – Easily adapt this recipe to a vegetarian meal! Replace the ground beef with your favorite plant-based ground meat substitute. For the bacon, consider using savory sun-dried tomato slices (packed in oil, drained), smoked paprika-dusted mushrooms, or even crumbled tempeh bacon for a smoky, chewy alternative.
6. Oven Temperature – Accuracy in oven temperature is important for optimal results. If you are using a conventional oven, preheat it to 430°F (220°C). For those with a convection oven (which circulates hot air), a slightly lower temperature of 390°F (200°C) will be sufficient to achieve that beautiful golden crust and ensure even cooking.
7. Storage & Reheating Tips – To make the most of your delicious casserole, here’s how to store and reheat it effectively:
- Refrigerator, Unbaked: You can assemble the casserole up to 2 days in advance. Cover it tightly with aluminum foil or plastic wrap and refrigerate. When ready to bake, add about 10-15 minutes to the baking time to ensure it heats through evenly.
- Refrigerator, Baked: Leftovers of the baked casserole are fantastic! Allow the dish to cool completely, then cover it tightly and store in the refrigerator for up to 2-3 days.
- Freezer: It’s generally not recommended to freeze this casserole due to the potatoes. Freezing and thawing potatoes can significantly alter their texture, often making them watery and mealy, which detracts from the gratin’s appeal.
- Reheat: To reheat individual portions or the entire dish, cover the oven dish with aluminum foil to prevent drying, and bake at 350°F (180°C) for about 20-25 minutes, or until thoroughly heated and bubbling in the center.
8. Nutritional Value – The provided nutritional information is an estimate per serving, based on the assumption that this hearty Escarole Gratin with Bacon and Potatoes recipe yields four generous servings. Please note that exact values can vary based on specific ingredients and brands used.
Nutrition
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