The night this happened, I was supposed to make meatloaf. That was the plan. But I’d already boiled a pot of potatoes before I realized I’d grabbed the wrong bag at the store, and now I had two pounds of cooked potatoes sitting there with nowhere to go. I didn’t want two separate dishes. I didn’t want to throw the potatoes out. So I just… stacked everything. Meatloaf on the bottom, mashed potatoes on top, cheese and bacon over all of it. Into the oven it went. My wife came into the kitchen, looked at what I was doing, and said “is that what I think it is?” It was. And it worked way better than it had any right to.

That accidental dinner is now the one my kids ask for by name.

What You’ll Need

For the Meatloaf Layer:

• 1 1/2 lbs lean ground beef
• 1/2 cup chopped white onion
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 cup seasoned bread crumbs
• 1 1/2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup cottage cheese
• 1/2 cup BBQ sauce

For the Mashed Potato Layer:

• 2 lbs potatoes, peeled and diced
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup warm milk or half-and-half
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper

For the Topping:

• 8 slices thick bacon, cooked and crumbled
• 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

How to Make It

1. Preheat and boil the potatoes.

Start by preheating your oven to 375°F. Then get your potatoes going right away, because they take the longest and you can work on everything else while they cook. Peel and dice about two pounds of potatoes into rough chunks, drop them in a big pot, cover with cold water, and bring it to a boil. They’ll need around 15 minutes once the water’s boiling. You want them soft enough that a fork slides through without any resistance. When they’re done, drain them well and set them aside. Don’t let them sit in the water or they’ll get waterlogged, and that makes for sad, soupy mashed potatoes later.

2. Mix the meatloaf layer.

While the potatoes are doing their thing, grab a large mixing bowl and build your meatloaf layer. Add the ground beef, onion, garlic, bread crumbs, Worcestershire sauce, egg, cottage cheese, and BBQ sauce. The cottage cheese is not a typo — it dissolves into the meat while it bakes and keeps the whole thing incredibly moist. Mix everything together with your hands or a big spoon until it’s just combined. Stop there. Overmixing is the number one reason meatloaf comes out dense and rubbery, so once you don’t see any dry streaks, you’re done.

3. Bake the meatloaf base.

Grease a 9×13-inch baking dish and spread the meatloaf mixture into the bottom in an even layer. Press it down lightly so it’s flat and fills the corners. Slide it into the oven and bake for 20 to 25 minutes. You’re looking for it to be cooked through with no pink left in the middle. A meat thermometer should read 160°F if you want to be sure.

4. Mash the potatoes.

While it bakes, go back to your drained potatoes and mash them in a large bowl. Add the butter first and let it melt into the warm potatoes, then add the sour cream and warm milk. Mash until smooth. The key to creamy mashed potatoes is warm dairy — cold butter and cold milk seize up in the potato starch and leave you with a gummy, lumpy mess. Season with the salt and pepper, taste, and adjust. If you want them extra fluffy, run a hand mixer through them for about 30 seconds.

5. Layer, top, and finish baking.

When the meatloaf comes out of the oven, spoon the mashed potatoes over the top and spread them out in an even layer with a spatula. Try to get it reasonably smooth so the toppings have a flat surface to sit on. Scatter the shredded cheddar over the potatoes, then add the crumbled bacon on top. Back into the oven it goes for another 10 to 15 minutes. You’re waiting for the cheese to fully melt and start bubbling around the edges. If you want a little color on top, switch the oven to broil for the last two or three minutes and watch it closely. It can go from golden to burnt faster than you’d expect.

6. Rest and serve.

Pull the casserole out and let it rest for about five minutes before you cut into it. That short wait lets the layers firm up just enough that you get a clean scoop instead of everything sliding apart on the serving spoon. Cut it into squares and serve straight from the dish.

If you like the idea of a beefy, layered dinner, you might also want to try cowboy casserole or this hamburger hashbrown casserole that uses a similar build-in-one-dish approach.

Quick Tips

• Don’t skip the rest time. Five minutes after it comes out of the oven makes a real difference in how cleanly it serves. Worth the wait.
• Leftover mashed potatoes work perfectly here. If you’ve got some in the fridge, reheat them until warm before spreading. Saves you about 20 minutes.
• Make it ahead if you need to. You can assemble the whole thing, cover it tightly, and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. Just add 10 extra minutes to the baking time when cooking it cold.