Zesty Beef & Potato Casserole

Ingredients

For the casserole
• 500 grams beef mince (fresh or thawed)
• 200 grams sweet potato (peeled and thinly sliced)
• 200 grams potato (peeled and thinly sliced)
• 1 large lemon (juice and zest)
• 1 teaspoon Italian herbs (dried)
• 400 grams crushed tomatoes (canned, no added salt preferred)
• to taste salt
• to taste black pepper
• 1 tablespoon olive oil (for cooking)

Instructions

1. 1. Prepare the vegetables and beef: Preheat your oven to 200°C. In a large frying pan, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. Add 500 grams of beef mince and cook until browned, about 5 minutes. Stir occasionally to break up the mince. Season with salt, pepper, and 1 teaspoon of dried Italian herbs. Once done, drain any excess fat if necessary and remove from heat.

   Ensure the beef is cooked through and no longer pink; it should register at least 75°C internally.

2. 2. Layer the casserole: In a casserole dish, start by adding half of the cooked beef mince mixture to the bottom. Next, layer half of the sliced sweet potatoes, followed by half of the regular potato slices. Pour half of the can of crushed tomatoes over the layers, then sprinkle with half of the lemon zest and juice.
3. 3. Finish layering and bake: Repeat the layers with the remaining beef mince, followed by the remaining sweet and regular potatoes. Top the final layer with the remaining crushed tomatoes, and drizzle the rest of the lemon juice on top. Ensure to season the top layer with additional salt and pepper as desired. Cover with aluminium foil before placing in the oven.
4. 4. Bake the casserole: Place the casserole dish in the preheated oven at 200°C and bake for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, remove the foil and bake for an additional 10 minutes to lightly brown the top. The potatoes should be tender when pierced with a fork.

   Ensure the potatoes are cooked through; a fork should easily pierce them.