Champvallon.  

A rustic yet still fairly elegant dish which dates back to the reign of Louis XIV, supposedly invented by one of his mistresses.  Where the name itself comes from,  there seems to be no clear answer.  Perhaps from the tiny little French village Champvallon located in the region of Bourgogne, or perhaps named after the archbishop of Paris during Louis XIV's reign, Francoi de Harley de Champvallon?

Whatever the answer, this is a lovely little dish to have bubbling away in your oven while the rain falls outside and while you sip a well deserved glass of red.

Normally made with lamb, my version below uses beef, but feel free to revert back to the original.  

Champvallon is a simple, slow cooked casserole with a small amount of ingredients, baked between a crisp upper crust of potato and a softer bottom layer of potato, serving no purpose other than to soak up the favourful juices.