Country Hamburger Casserole
- Carbohydrate 37.0226342350857 g
- Cholesterol 208.553426298 mg
- Fat 44.8208617675966 g
- Fiber 4.92000003198236 g
- Protein 56.9315854416491 g
- Saturated Fat 15.9589044837339 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (534g)
- Sodium 445.619563354978 mg
- Sugar 32.1026342031034 g
- Trans Fat 4.70293550234994 g
- Calories 788 calories
Step-by-step
- Place potatoes in bottom of a greased 4 quart slow cooker; top with carrots, celery & onion slices. Place ground beef on top.
- In a med bowl, whisk together milk, broth, flour, salt and pepper and pour over ground beef.
- Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours. In the last 2 hrs, vent slow cooker lid with a chopstick to allow excess water to escape.
Evaporated milk anchors this dish by providing concentrated dairy solids without excess water content that would otherwise thin the sauce during long cooking cycles. Starch choice matters immensely when thickening a slow cooker braise; brown rice flour offers a gluten-free alternative that gelatinizes at lower temperatures than wheat flour, though arrowroot can substitute at a one-to-one ratio if needed. Layering the root vegetables directly on the base of a four-quart slow cooker places them closest to the heat source, ensuring the potatoes and carrots soften fully over the six-to-eight-hour cooking window. Browning the ground beef beforehand serves two distinct culinary purposes: it renders out excess fat that might make the final sauce greasy, and the Maillard reaction builds deep savory notes that simmering alone cannot achieve. Venting the lid with a chopstick during the final two hours allows trapped steam to escape, which thickens the surrounding pan sauce through controlled evaporation rather than leaving a watery liquid behind. Equipment constraints dictate careful layering, as a smaller slow cooker will crowd the vegetables and impede heat circulation, while a larger unit may require monitoring the liquid levels earlier to prevent scorching.
