Eugene Belcher is the manifestation of our petulant inner 9-year-old, loudly asserting dominance over dinner and brazenly mashing together every indulgence. Today his B-minus dreams come to life, stacking many carbs upon other carbs to create Baked Potato Lasagna.

Ingredients

Simple Loaded Baked Potato Lasagna Ingredients:

• 1 (15 oz) can store-bought chili 

• 2 lb frozen hashbrowns, cooked according to package instructions 

• 1 Cup broccoli florets, steamed + roughly chopped

• 1 lb thick cut bacon, cooked + roughly chopped

• 1 lb cheddar cheese, shredded

• To garnish: Sour cream 

Advanced Loaded Baked Potato Lasagna Ingredients:

• 1 lb thick cut bacon

• Chili (see recipe below)

• Baked Potato Noodles* (see recipe below)

• Buttermilk Bacon Fat Bechamel (see recipe below)

• 1 lb white cheddar cheese, shredded

• Garnish: chopped scallions

Baked Potato Noodles Ingredients:

• 6 medium russet potatoes, cleaned

• 1 large egg + 1 egg yolk, beaten 

• 550-600 all purpose flour + more for dusting and rolling 

• ½ tsp kosher salt

Chili Ingredients:

• 1 Tbsp neutral oil

• 2 lb ground beef (85% lean)

• 1 yellow onion, diced

• 4 garlic cloves, minced 

• 2 Tbsp sweet paprika

• 1 Tbsp + 1 tsp ground mustard 

• 2 tsp chili powder

• 2 tsp chipotle chili powder

• 1 tsp onion powder

• To taste kosher salt 

• 2 oz tomato paste

• 2 Cups beef broth

• 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

• 1 (28-oz) can crushed tomatoes 

• 1 lb cooked bacon, chopped

Buttermilk Bacon Fat Bechamel Ingredients:

• ⅓ Cup bacon fat

• ⅓ Cup all purpose flour

• 2 Cups whole milk 

• 2 Cups buttermilk

• 1 bay leaf 

• To taste kosher salt

• To taste freshly ground black pepper

Method

Simple Loaded Baked Potato Lasagna Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 °F. 

2. In a 9x13 inch casserole dish, begin layering the chili, hashbrowns, broccoli, bacon, and cheddar cheese. Continue layering until the casserole dish is full.

3. Cover the pan with foil, then bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and return the lasagna to the oven to bake for an additional 10-15 minutes or until the cheese is melted and browned. 

4. Allow the lasagna to cool for 15 minutes before slicing and serving with sour cream. 

Advanced Loaded Baked Potato Lasagna Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 °F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with foil.

2. Place the strips of bacon on the foil, then transfer the tray to the preheated oven. 

3. Bake the bacon strips for 10-12 minutes or until they begin to brown, then flip the slices and cook for an additional 10-15 minutes or until browned and crispy. 

4. Let the bacon cool to room temperature before storing, these will be used for the Chili. Reserve the bacon fat for the Buttermilk Bacon Fat Bechamel. 

5. Reduce the oven temperature to 375 °F.

6. In a 9x13 inch casserole dish, begin layering the Chili, Potato Noodles, Buttermilk Bacon Fat Bechamel, and white cheddar until the dish is filled. 

7. Loosely tent the dish in aluminum foil, then bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour and 15 minutes, then remove the foil and bake, uncovered, for an additional 10-15 minutes. 

8. Let set for 30 minutes before slicing and garnishing with chopped scallions. Let cool to room temperature before refrigerating the leftovers for up to 4 days. 

*Optionally, replace this with your favorite fresh pasta dough recipe and substitute ⅓ of the flour with potato flour.

Baked Potato Noodles Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 °F with convection. 

2. Prick the potatoes all over using a fork. Transfer the potatoes to a rimmed baking sheet and bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour, or until the potatoes are tender.

3. Allow the potatoes to cool slightly, about 5 minutes. Then, with the potatoes in a clean dish towel, carefully peel off the skins. 

4. Cut the still warm potatoes into 2 inch pieces, then pass them through a ricer. 

5. Let the riced potatoes cool for 15 minutes to release extra steam.

6. Fold the eggs, 550 grams all purpose flour, and salt into the riced potatoes until a mostly homogeneous dough-like consistency is reached. Then, knead the dough for 12-15 minutes or until smooth. If the dough is still sticky, add more flour as necessary. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.

7. Working with half the dough at a time, roll the dough out on a clean floured work surface. Laminate the dough by sprinkling with flour, then fold up the dough and roll it out again. Repeat this process until the dough is relatively smooth and strong enough to be rolled thin without tearing. 

8. Using a pasta roller, work in batches to roll out the dough sheets. Start on the widest setting and decrease the size by two settings with every roll. Roll until the dough reaches the second thinnest setting.

9. Transfer the sheets of potato noodles to a large rimmed baking sheet. Dust the sheets well with flour before placing another noodle over top. 

10. Set aside until ready to assemble.

Chili Method:

1. Heat the oil in a medium skillet or dutch oven or medium sauce pot. 

2. Add the ground beef to the skillet and cook until well browned, about 8-10 minutes. Make sure to break up any large chunks. 

3. Remove the beef from the skillet along with all but 1 tablespoon of the rendered fat. Reserve the cooked beef.

4. Add the onion to the skillet and continue cooking until the onions turn translucent, about 3-4 minutes. 

5. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds longer or until fragrant. Stir in the spices and cook for 15-20 seconds or until fragrant. 

6. Add the tomato paste to the skillet and stir to combine with the ingredients, cook for 1 minutes, then add in the beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, tomatoes, beans, and reserved beef.

7. Bring the chili to a simmer and cook for 35-45 minutes or until thickened and the flavors have combined. If the sauce becomes too thick, add water (or beef broth) until the desired consistency is reached. 

8. Transfer the chili to a bowl, then stir in the chopped cooked bacon. Let cool to room temperature. 

9. Optionally, refrigerate the chili overnight for better flavor development. 

Buttermilk Bacon Fat Bechamel Method:

1. Melt (if necessary) the bacon fat over medium heat in a medium high-walled skillet. Stir in the flour until pasty.

2. Slowly pour in the milk, adding only a few tablespoons and whisking thoroughly between each addition. Once all of the milk is added, slowly pour in the buttermilk, adding ¼-⅓ cup additions and whisking thoroughly between each addition. 

3. Add the bay leaf to the pot and bring the sauce to a simmer. Continue cooking, while stirring periodically until the sauce is thickened, about 5-8 minutes. 

4. Season to taste with salt and pepper. 

5. Let cool to room temperature before storing and refrigerating.