Spicy Beef Caldereta Lasagna

Beef Caldereta is a spicy beef stew (sometimes goat is used) that is a well-known party food in the Philippines. The beef is cut into cubes and the meat is braised to make it tender. I experimented with ground beef and made my version into lasagna. But instead of using pasta, I used thinly-sliced potatoes, topped it with bechamel and baked it for 30 minutes.

Spicy Beef Caldereta Lasagna
Canola Oil 2 Tablespoons
Ground Beef 500 grams
Onion, minced 1 piece
Garlic, minced 2 cloves
Bay Leaf, dry 2 pieces
Salt and Pepper to taste
Dried Chili Flakes 1/4 teaspoon
Liver Spread 4 Tablespoons
Tomato Sauce 4 Tablespoons
Carrots, small dice 2 pieces
Green Pitted Olives 100 grams
Potatoes, peeled and sliced thinly 500 grams

Preheat pot with oil, add onion, garlic and bayleaf. Cook until fragrant. Add in ground beef, and cook until beef is no longer pink. Add tomato sauce and liver spread. Pour in carrots and olives. Cook for 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Take out bay leaf.

Peel and slice potatoes thinly layer potato slices in pyrex dish, top with a layer of beef mixture, make another layer of potatoes and top with the rest of beef mixture. Spread evenly. Top with bechamel and bake in oven for 30 minutes.

BECHAMEL
All-purpose flour 2 tablespoons
Butter 2 tablespoons
Milk 1 cup
Cheddar cheese, grated 1/2 cup

Cook butter and all purpose flour until paste is thick and comes together, be careful not to burn. Set aside in chiller. Heat milk until bubbles appear on the side. Add cooked butter and flour mixture, stirring until mixture is well combined. Cook until thick. Add in grated cheese. Pour this over meat and potatoes.