It’s that time of year again; the mall is decorated for Christmas; People are busy getting ready to go to grandma’s house for Thanksgiving dinner; their is a hint of snow in the air, and the biggest sign that the holidays are upon us – Rob’s Tater-Tot Casserole!
It’s become something of a tradition that when the holidays roll around each year that people start to ask about when they can expect me to bring in this comfort food treat. I was surprised that people actually looked forward to it – and I am beginning to expect that I get invited to a lot of get together just because of it!
It all started about 5 years ago when I had to bring in a dish for a work related Thanksgiving celebration. So I looked around online for something different and found a recipe for a hamburger and sour cream casserole. I tried it, and it was good, but it needed something – it needed Rob’s special touch to make it go from “yum” to “WOW!” So I set out to create the ultimate comfort food for the holidays.
Now, before we get into the recipe, let me stop you right here and now if you are looking for something healthy. I don’t think the word “healthy” and “tater-tot” can ever be used in the same sentence – especially in this case! This is one of those foods that you want to share because there is no way you can eat it all yourself – well, you might, but you will be working it off for the next 6 months!
So let’s get started! Here is what you will need:
- 1.0 – 1.5lbs of ground beef. I suggest 93% lean.
- One large container (16oz or so) of sour cream – feel free to use reduced fat, but not fat free!
- At least 2 cups (4 cups if you really want to dazzle them) of sharp cheddar cheese.
- One package of frozen sweet yellow corn (canned vegetables have too much sodium!)
- One can cream of chicken
- One can cream of mushroom
- Granulated Garlic (lots!)
- Dehydrated onions (lots!)
- Black Pepper (don’t be shy)
- One bag of frozen tater-tots (I suggest the ones seasoned with onion)
Now let’s make something good!
Start out by putting the ground beef (go ahead, use 1.5lbs!) in a skillet along with a generous amount of granulated garlic and enough dehydrated onion so you give a good coat on top. Now cover this up and brown it. The reason we want to cover it is we want to keep in some of the water from the beef so help our seasonings get going. You should also go ahead and throw in some black pepper at this point. But don’t put those spices away – we’ll be using them again!
Now the reason I say use 94% lean beef or better is because we want to avoid having to “drain” the fat off the browned ground beef. If you drain it, a lot of your spices (flavoring) is going to go down the drain.
After its browned remove the lid and and directly to the skillet (you are going to need a large skillet!) the sour cream, corn, cream of chicken and cream of mushroom. Mix it all up and go ahead and give it a small taste test. You will probably discover that it’s good – but I usually at this point throw in some more garlic and pepper. Now put the lid back on it and let it simmer for about 10-15 minutes to let all the flavors come together.
When its done take a large casserole dish (I actually recommend using one of those aluminum, disposable half steam-pans) and dump it in! Now take your cheese and put it on top. Don’t mix the cheese in, though. Open up those tater tots and dump them on top of the cheese. Make sure you get it all covered for maximum “goodness”.
Take all of that and place into a 375 degree oven (don’t cover it) for about one hour. We want everything to get nice and baked and bubbly. I suggest you put a baking sheet under it to catch any bubble-over.
Remove from oven and let set for about 15-20 minutes before serving. We want it to cool down just a bit so it isn’t bubbling and we want everything to meld together. 20 minutes is usually enough time to get it so that it stills comes out hot but not too hot you can’t eat. It also gives the seasonings and flavors a final chance to meld.
Now the best part – serve and enjoy! I think you’ll find that you won’t have any leftover! It’s just that good – and most of the time it can be used as either a main dish or a side dish.
If you have any questions or comments just drop me a line. I’d love to hear from you!