Finnish Macaroni and Beef Bake

Ingredients

• 250 g macaroni
• 400 g ground beef
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 30 g butter, divided
• 1 tsp ground allspice
• 1½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp black pepper
• 3 egg
• 6 dl milk
• 3 tbsp breadcrumbs

Method

1. 1.

   Undercook the macaroni — Boil the macaroni in well-salted water for two minutes less than the packet says — it finishes cooking in the custard and will go slack if you take it all the way now. Drain and set aside.

2. 2.

   Brown the beef and onion — Melt half the butter in a frying pan and soften the onion over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add the beef, break it up and fry hard for 8-10 minutes, until the water has cooked off and the meat has properly caught and browned. Season with the allspice, 1 tsp of the salt and the pepper.

3. 3.

   Combine in the baking dish — Heat the oven to 200°C and grease a 2 litre baking dish with the rest of the butter. Fold the macaroni and the beef together in the dish and level the surface.

4. 4.

   Pour over the egg custard — Whisk the eggs, milk and remaining salt into a thin custard and pour it evenly over — it should rise almost level with the pasta. Scatter the breadcrumbs across the top.

5. 5.

   Bake until just set — Bake for 40-45 minutes, until the custard has set with only a faint wobble at the centre, the top is deep gold and the edges are bubbling.

6. 6.

   Rest before cutting — Rest the dish for 10 minutes before cutting so the custard firms and the squares hold their shape. Finns eat it with ketchup, and they are right.