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French Onion Meatball and Potato Gratin
Melissa Hart

French Onion Meatball and Potato Gratin

Sweet browned onions and a proper broth-based sauce keep this from tasting like a shortcut casserole, even though fully cooked meatballs do most of the work. Slice the potatoes thinly and evenly; thick coins stay stubborn while everything else is ready.
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Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 35 minutes
Total Time 2 hours
Servings: 6
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

  • 2 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 2 large yellow onions thinly sliced
  • 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups low-sodium beef broth
  • 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tsp dried thyme
  • 1 1/2 lbs Yukon Gold potatoes sliced 1/8 inch thick
  • 20 oz fully cooked beef meatballs
  • 1 1/2 cups shredded Gruyère cheese
  • 3/4 tsp kosher salt
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper

Method
 

  1. Heat the oven to 375°F and grease a 3-quart baking dish.
  2. Melt the butter in a wide skillet over medium heat and cook the onions with 1/4 teaspoon salt for 15 minutes, stirring often, until deep golden and soft.
  3. Sprinkle in the flour and cook for 1 minute, then slowly stir in the broth, Worcestershire, thyme and pepper until the sauce lightly coats a spoon.
  4. Layer half the potatoes in the dish, season with half the remaining salt and add half the onions, sauce and meatballs; repeat the layers.
  5. Cover tightly with foil and bake for 55 minutes, until a knife slides easily into the potatoes.
  6. Uncover, add the Gruyère and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until browned at the edges, bubbling in the center and 165°F around the meatballs.
  7. Rest the gratin for 10 minutes so the sauce thickens before spooning it out.