While it may be hard to believe that many of our favorite American recipes have French influence, that really is true. We tend to believe that French cooking is only for the most sophisticated chef, but really anyone can cook certain French recipes just like a pro.

Julia Child was a renowned TV host and American chef, but what most people don’t know is that her recipes were highly influenced by French cooking. Her signature recipes were inspired by French cuisine and given a twist to make them fit into the modern American home.

The recipe we’re about to teach you is a French recipe, but has gone viral for its amazing flavors and easy to create recipe. It’s called Gratin Parmentier and you won’t be disappointed if you give it a try. For the recipe you will need the following ingredients: 3 Potatoes peeled and boiled whole, 1 white onion, 1 package of ground beef, 1 teaspoon of chopped parsley, a pinch of paprika, 1 large bag of mozzarella cheese, salt and pepper to taste, and bechamel sauce.

The recipe for bechamel sauce includes the following ingredients: 5 tablespoons of real butter, 4 tablespoons of all-purpose flour, 4 cups of milk, 2 teaspoons of salt, 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg. Here’s how you make the recipe.

1. Make the bechamel sauce first by melting the butter over low heat in a medium saucepan. Add in flour and stir until the mixture is smooth. Keep cooking the mixture until it turns light golden in color, about six or seven minutes.

2. In the meantime, put your milk in a separate pan and bring it to almost a boil over low-medium heat. Once it’s hot enough, gradually add the milk to the butter and flour mixture. Continually whisk the mixture to be sure it stays smooth. Once the milk is incorporated, bring the whole thing to a boil then cook for 10 minutes stirring the mixture constantly. Season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg and your bechamel sauce is ready to go.

3. Now preheat your oven to 400 degrees. In a big bowl mix together the beef, chopped parsley, paprika, salt, and pepper. Mix until they are thoroughly combined.

4. Next, peel the three potatoes and boil them until they are semi-soft, around seven minutes. Once they’re ready, slice them and layer them around the bottom and sides of the baking dish.

5. After that, make the meat mixture into ice cream scoop size meatballs. The recipe should make around 15 meatballs. Arrange the meatballs in the baking dish on top of the potatoes.

6. Place the remaining potato slices in between the meatballs so that each meatball appears to have its own little compartment. Then pour the bechamel sauce into each one of the little compartments until they are relatively full. Top the entire dish off with a thin layer of shredded mozzarella cheese.

7. Place the baking dish into your preheated oven and bake for approximately ten minutes and you will have a delicious, creamy, and cheesy French style meal that your entire family will enjoy.