Description
Home cooks adore this classic ground beef and gravy over mashed potatoes recipe for its comforting roots in Midwestern American cuisine. Savory meat sauce cascades over creamy potatoes, delivering a hearty meal that connects generations through simple, satisfying flavors you’ll want to make again.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 lb (454 g) ground beef
- 2 cups (473 ml) beef broth
- 2 lbs (907 g) potatoes
- ¼ cup (57 g) butter
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) Worcestershire sauce
- ¼ cup (60 ml) milk
- 2 tbsps (30 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 medium onion (chopped)
- 2 cloves garlic (finely minced)
- 1 cup (150 g) frozen peas and carrots (optional)
- 1 tsp (5 g) thyme
- Salt and pepper (as needed)
Instructions
- Potato Preparation: Cleanse, peel, and segment potatoes into uniform chunks. Submerge in cold water, ensuring complete coverage by at least one inch of liquid.
- Potato Cooking: Bring water to a vigorous boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes until potatoes yield effortlessly to a fork. Drain thoroughly in a colander.
- Mashed Potato Creation: Return potatoes to the pot, incorporating butter and milk. Whip to a silky consistency using a masher or mixer. Season with salt and pepper.
- Beef Browning: Sear ground beef in a hot skillet, fragmenting into fine crumbles. Cook until completely browned, eliminating any pink coloration.
- Flavor Building: Drain excess fat, retaining a hint for depth. Introduce diced onions and garlic, sautéing until aromatics become translucent and fragrant.
- Gravy Foundation: Dust meat mixture with flour, stirring to create an even coating. Toast briefly to neutralize raw flour’s taste.
- Gravy Development: Stream beef broth into the skillet, whisking continuously. Incorporate Worcestershire sauce, thyme, salt, and pepper. Reduce heat and simmer until gravy reaches desired thickness.
- Vegetable Integration: Optional: Fold in frozen peas and carrots, warming through briefly.
- Plating: Mound creamy mashed potatoes on plates, cascade beef gravy over the top. Garnish with fresh parsley for a vibrant finish.
Notes
- Potato Sizing Tip: Quarter potatoes uniformly to guarantee consistent cooking and texture throughout.
- Boiling Precision: Keep water 1 inch above potatoes and test doneness by easily piercing with a fork to prevent undercooking.
- Fat Management: Drain most beef fat but retain a small amount for enhanced flavor and preventing dryness.
- Gravy Smoothness: Stir flour constantly when adding to meat mixture to avoid lumps and eliminate raw flour taste before liquid integration.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Boiling, Sautéing, Simmering
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 5
- Calories: 490
- Sugar: 3 g
- Sodium: 600 mg
- Fat: 24 g
- Saturated Fat: 10 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 12 g
- Trans Fat: 1 g
- Carbohydrates: 48 g
- Fiber: 4 g
- Protein: 22 g
- Cholesterol: 90 mg