Escondidinho — Brazilian Hidden Ground Beef Pie

Ingredients

• 1¼ lb Ground Beef
• 2½ lb potatoes (standing in for cassava, with a nod south), mashed with butter + ½ cup milk
• 1 onion + 3 cloves garlic + 1 tomato
• 1 tsp cumin + 1 tsp paprika
• ½ cup cream cheese or requeijão-energy, whisked into the mash
• 1½ cups grated mozzarella
• Scallions

Method

1. Brown the Ground Beef with the onion, garlic, tomato, and spices into a juicy, seasoned mince (160°F for beef).
2. Beat the cream cheese into the warm mash — the requeijão nod that makes Brazilian mash taste like a secret.
3. Layer in a baking dish: mince below, mash smoothed over — 'hidden', as the name insists.
4. Blanket with mozzarella and bake at 400°F (205°C) 20–25 minutes until bronzed and bubbling at the corners.
5. Rest 10, scatter scallions, serve deep spoonfuls. Brazilian comfort's cutest name and biggest portions — the hiding never works; everyone finds it.