# Baked Potatoes with Béchamel and Minced Beef

> This tray is browned potato slices — baked rather than fried, which is lighter — layered with minced beef in tomato sauce, covered with a thick béchamel and cheese and baked at 190°C for thirty minutes. The béchamel won't go lumpy if the milk is warm and you whisk continuously.

**Egyptian Cuisine · 85 min · 6 servings · 490 kcal per serving**

The easiest tray bake in Egyptian home cooking, and the one children never turn down. All the work is in preparing the layers; the oven does the rest.

## Ingredients

- 1 kg — potatoes, sliced
- 500 g — minced beef
- 1 medium — onion, chopped
- 2 tbsp — tomato paste
- 60 g — butter
- 60 g — plain flour
- 750 ml — warm milk
- 1 pinch — nutmeg
- 150 g — grated mozzarella

## Method

1. **The potatoes** — Cut the potatoes into half-centimetre slices, brush with oil and salt, and bake at 200°C until cooked and browned.
2. **The beef** — Fry the onion, then the mince with the tomato paste and spices until dry.
3. **The béchamel** — Melt the butter, add the flour and stir for two minutes, then the warm milk gradually while whisking until it thickens. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg.
4. **Layer and bake** — Potato, beef, potato, béchamel, cheese. Bake at 190°C for thirty minutes until the top browns.

## Tips

- The milk must be warm, not cold — cold milk makes lumps instantly.
- If the béchamel does go lumpy, pass it through a sieve or blitz it with a stick blender.
- Bake the potatoes rather than frying them — half the calories, same result.

## FAQ

### My béchamel went lumpy. What do I do?
Blitz it with a stick blender or push it through a sieve. Next time, warm the milk and add it gradually while whisking.

### Can I make it without meat?
Yes — potato, béchamel and cheese alone makes a complete vegetarian meal.

### How do I freeze it?
Assemble it fully without baking, cover it well, and bake from frozen with an extra twenty minutes.

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Source: https://hanakoleah.com/en/egyptian-cuisine/baked-potato-bechamel-mince-recipe
Edited by: Marwa Mohamed
Last updated: 2026-10-29