Cheeseburger and fries casserole

Comfort food at its finest!

Inspired by an over-the-top poutine dish I saw years ago on a menu in Quebec, this dish was such a hit that my husband thought I should call it ‘cheeseburger in paradise’. Putting the cooked French fries on top of the meat (kind of like an upside-down poutine) helps to keep them crispy. You can cook the meat in advance (see instructions below) but it’s best to assemble the casserole right before serving. I like to make this in individual 2 cup (500 mL) oven-safe dishes, but you can easily use an 8×8-inch (20×0 cm) casserole instead.

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
• 1 pound (454 g) ground beef, chicken or turkey
• 1 small cooking onion, diced
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon each dried oregano and basil
• Few dashes each Worcestershire sauce and hot sauce
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 1/2 cup (125 mL) beef broth  
• 1/3 cup (80 g) sour cream
• 1 cup (200 g) diced fresh tomatoes
• 1/2 cup (71 g) diced dill pickles
• 3/4 cup (100 g) each grated cheddar cheese and mozzarella, divided
• 4 cups (300 g) frozen French fries
• Additional sliced dill pickles, to garnish

Method

• Prepare the cheeseburger mixture first. Drizzle vegetable oil in a large skillet placed over medium heat. Add ground beef and sauté, stirring often to break up clumps, until no traces of pink remain. Add onions and garlic to the beef and sauté until onions have softened (about 3-4 minutes). Add oregano, basil, Worcestershire sauce and hot sauce to skillet along with a little salt and pepper and stir to blend. Remove pan from heat and let mixture cool for 15 minutes.
• If not assembling the casserole right away, the meat mixture can be transferred to an airtight container at this point and refrigerated for up to 24 hours or frozen for up to 3 months. To resume preparing the meat mixture if refrigerated or frozen, thaw (if needed) and place in a skillet over medium-low heat. Warm just enough so the fat surrounding the meat melts, then remove from heat.
• To cooled meat mixture, add sour cream and stir to blend. Add tomatoes, pickles and half of the cheese mixture and stir gently to combine.
• While meat is cooling (if not prepared in advance), cook the French fries until crispy, according to package directions. When fries are done, reduce heat in oven (or preheat oven if fries were made in an air fryer) to 350F.
• Transfer the meat and vegetable mixture to individual casserole dishes or one larger one. Top with French fries then scatter remaining cheese mixture over top. Bake until bubbling hot and cheese is melted, about 20 minutes.
• Top with a few pickle slices and serve hot, with your favourite burger condiments on the side.

Serves 4-6.