tater tot casserole recipe

i realized i forgot to post this last week when we had it.  i actually like it a little better than the hash brown one, but both are good.  it’s VERY similar.

once again, this is something i’ve made so many times that i just kind of wing it now, although i do have the recipe that kate sent to me after she made it for my family when micah was born. i like to keep the recipe because it has some little ‘britishisms’ throughout, just like kate! ;-) who, by the way, rocks, having called to check up on me the other evening when she saw that the power in our area was out AGAIN!  thanks kate, smooch smooch! but now i’m getting distracted… big surprise.

here goes.

you will need:

• 1 lb or so ground beef (or ground turkey)
• 1 chopped onion
• a bunch of veggies (kate’s recipe calls for a ‘tin’ of mixed veggies, but i use fresh carrots & celery if i’ve got’em, frozen beans, peas, corn, whatever).  maybe 2-3 cups.
• 1 can (or tin) of cream of something soup (i use celery usually)
• grated cheese (i use cheddar)
• 1 bag of frozen tater tots

brown the beef and onion together (i usually add some garlic powder and maybe some parsley). while i’m doing this, i steam the veggies. you must do this if you’re using fresh or frozen so they won’t be crunchy! in a big enough bowl, mix together the meat, veggies and soup and then pour it into a casserole dish (9X13 or 2.5-3qt.). sprinkle with a little cheese. cover the entire top w/ tater tots (in rows, rings, whatever – depending on how OCD you are) and then cover them in a good layer of grated cheese.  bake, uncovered, at 375* for about 45 minutes.

i often make a double and stick one whole casserole in the freezer before i bake it. i just wrap it up good in plastic wrap and foil, w/ masking tape around it. that makes a good place to write the baking instructions.  just pull it out the night before you want to eat it and put it in the fridge to thaw a little. if it’s still a little frozen, you might have to bake it a little longer.