Here’s a new take on a meat and potato dish. I pan-fried patties and potato slices, then stacked them into a charming presentation to create a napoléon. I flavored the savory napoléons with goat cheese pesto and placed them on a bed of garlic and basil tomato sauce. I think the tomato sauce helps cut the heaviness of the dish.

1. Info for Meat and Potato Napoleon Recipe

Cook Time: unavailable
Total Time: unavailable
Servings: 6
Calories: unavailable

2. Ingredients for Meat and Potato Napoleon Recipe

1 pound ground beef
1 tablespoon ginger garlic paste (see tips)
1 teaspoon ground fennel, freshly ground
1 teaspoon ground coriander
2 clove garlic, finely minced
juice of half a lemon
8 ounces goat cheese, crumbled
3 tablespoons pine nuts, lightly toasted
2 tablespoons fresh chives, chopped
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1½ teaspoons salt
5 red potatoes
3 slices Muenster cheese
16 ounces garlic and basil tomato sauce, warm

3. Directions:

3.1 Preparing the patties

Lightly oil a large mixing bowl with a silicone brush. Combine the ground beef, leeks, baking powder, ginger garlic paste, fennel, ground coriander, turmeric powder, red chili powder and paprika. Season with salt and freshly cracked pepper. Mix well. Grease disposable gloves with oil. Using a 2¾” metal circle cutter, form 12 round patties and place them on a tray. Chill them in the freezer for at least 30 minutes (this step will make the cooking of the patties much easier).

3.2 Checking the seasoning

In a small pan, heat about 1 teaspoon of canola oil. Add about 1 to 2 tablespoons of the beef mixture. Cook for about 2 minutes. Taste the meat and adjust the seasoning with more salt and pepper if necessary. Set aside.

3.3 For the goat cheese pesto

In a blender (or a mini-food prep if you have one), combine 6 ounces goat cheese, lemon juice, 1 clove of garlic, pine nuts, basil, chives and 6 tablespoons olive oil. You might want to add about 2 tablespoons (or more) of water for a smooth flow. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

3.4 Prepping the potatoes

Brush and wash the potatoes. Place them whole in a large pot (no need to peel them). Fill it with cold water until the potatoes are barely covered. It’s important to start with cold water so the potatoes cook evenly. Bring to a boil, add 1 teaspoon of salt and reduce the heat to medium-high (if you cook the potatoes at a full boil, they might fall apart). As soon as the water reaches a boil, cook for about 12-15 minutes. Test, using a fork; the potatoes should be slightly tender but still firm. Remove from the pot. Drain the potatoes thoroughly and let them cool a little (do not rinse and let the liquid evaporate). Once the potatoes are cool enough to handle and have dried thoroughly, remove the skin. Cut them into ½-inch slices.

3.5 Assembly time

Preheat the oven to the lowest setting (about 200°F).

Using a 2¾” metal circle cutter, form 6 disks of Muenster cheese. Place the cheese on a hot non-stick skillet and lower the heat. Once the cheese is melted, sprinkle with paprika and flip the disks. Once the other side is lightly golden, transfer to a plate and set aside.

Remove the patties from the freezer. Brush the patties with a little oil.

Brush the same non-stick skillet with canola oil. Pan-sear the patties. Cook for about 3-4minutes on each side (covered) until there is a nicely browned crust . Transfer to a platter.

Divide the sliced potatoes into 4 batches. In the same skillet, heat the remaining canola oil. Add the first batch of potatoes; don’t over-crowd the skillet. Reduce the heat to medium-high. Slightly cover the pan with a sheet of aluminum foil. Cook for about 3-4 minutes. Using a silicone spatula, flip the potatoes using a silicone spatula without applying any pressure, so they don’t get smashed and remain crispy. Cook the other side for another 3-4 minutes until nicely browned. Season with salt and white pepper and set aside. Repeat with the other batches until all the potatoes are browned on both sides.

Using the metal circle cutter, form disks of potatoes.

Place the potatoes in a greased baking pan and finish cooking them in the oven for 15 minutes. Check for doneness of the potatoes. They should be crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Adjust seasoning.

Spread a thin layer of the warm tomato sauce on individual heat-proof serving plates. Stack a potato slice, spread a layer of pesto, sprinkle a bit of goat cheese, repeat with several layers of potato and pesto and stack a patty. Finish, repeating the same procedure and top the napoléons with the reserved Muenster cheese disk.

Transfer the napoléons to the oven for 5-10 minutes at 200°F (to keep them warm and melt the goat cheese a bit) until ready to serve.

Garnish with chopped basil.

Serve warm.

Bon appétit!

4. Tips and advices:

You’ve probably noticed I use ginger garlic paste a lot in my cooking. It tastes great and is very healthy for you as well. Just clean the ginger, carefully removing any dirt. Peel the ginger root with a paring knife or the edge of a spoon, then finely chop it. Place the chopped ginger and 5 cloves of garlic in a blender and, add about 2 tablespoons (or more) of water for a smooth flow. Transfer to a jar and store in the refrigerator. You can keep this paste for at least a week in the refrigerator.
I used a vacuum-sealed pouch of homemade tomato sauce from last summer that I had stored in the freezer.
You could also store un-seared beef patties in the freezer. Using a tray, chill the patties (placing little squares of parchment underneath each patty) for about 1 hour in the freezer. Once hardened, stack the patties with the parchment squares between them to prevent them to from sticking to each other. Place the stack in a large re-sealable bag (remove as much air as possible from the bag). I think this is the best way to keep the flavor without getting freezer burn. The patties can be stored up to 1 month in the freezer. Don’t forget to label your food with the date!