I'm not a trained chef, I just pretend to be

Sometimes I hit the nail on the head, sometimes I hit it, but not all the way, and sometimes I am just on the other side of yum.  Yesterday's dish was the one that I hit, but not so much.  When I found this blog, the lady describes the dish as looking like dog food but tasting amazing...I missed the amazing!  It did taste good!  Unbelievably good, no.  So it is a really simple recipe..onion, garlic, burger, cheese, cream of mushroom, milk, corn and tater tots.  Mix them together and put it in a casserole, sounds easy?!?

This dish needs more: Onion, Cheese, Cream of mushroom..and pepper.  I add pepper to everything, so it needed it.  I would probably make it again, cause the hubby enjoyed it and it is easy.  

So if you would like the recipe you can find it here: http://thecuttingedgeofordinary.blogspot.com/2010/09/cowboy-casserole-looks-like-dog-food.html

or here:

Cowboy Casserole
adapted from a recipe at Taste of Home
1 1/2 pounds ground beef (I used 80/20)
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 can (15.25oz) whole kernel corn, drained
1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup
2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 cup milk
4 tablespoons sour cream
1 bag (30 oz) frozen tater tots (I used Ore-Ida Crispy Crowns)

Before I got ready to make this casserole, I let the Crispy Crowns sit on the counter to defrost for an hour or so. The original recipe used still frozen tater tots, but I felt they wouldn't cook as well if they were still frozen solid.

In a large skillet cook the onion until tender and translucent. Add the chopped garlic and cook for 1 minute more. Add the beef and cook over medium heat until no longer pink. Drain the mixture and place into a large bowl and set aside.

In a small bowl combine the soup, milk and sour cream. Whisk until smooth. Add to hamburger mixture and stir to combine. Add corn and 1 cup of cheddar cheese. Gently mix to combine.

Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish. Layer half of the Crispy Crowns on the bottom, pour the hamburger mixture over the top and then layer with the other half of the Crispy Crowns. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup cheese and bake at 350 for 25 - 30 minutes, or until golden brown and crunchy.

*Note - The second time I made this I prepared it the night before and stuck it in the fridge overnight. I took it out about an hour before I wanted to bake it, just so it could come to room temperature a bit. I think it was even better than the first one!