Couple of things to think about before you make yours, first I let my tots defrost on the counter for an hr before I started making the rest of it, as it was recommended by the blogger who I got the Cowboy Casserole idea from... Somewhere else I read that you should toast the bottom layer of tots while you brown your meat, and I think I'll do this next time because I like crunch and the bottom didn't have the crunch that you expect from tater tots... Also you can add any veggies, I picked green beans and mushrooms and mine ended up being this fabulous cross between Cowboy Casserole and Green Bean Casserole and it was yummy... The others I saw called for corn or can of mixed veggies, I bet you can really do whatever you want... I have this wonderful spice called Bacon Salt, that I season most things with, I sprinkled that on top and it was a nice touch... And hey it's kosher!!! Finally, it was suggested that you could assemble the inside meat tuff the night before and let the flavors "marry"... Have you ever seen of those Boost/Ensure commercials where the food in the fridge comes alive and gives proper eating tips to the other "bad" food, well every time I hear "refrigerate overnight to let the flavors marry" I think of a veggie wedding going on in my fridge after I close the door, like some kind of weird Toy Story crossover...
My Cowboy Casserole
- 2T of butter
- 1T of minced garlic
- Package of Mushrooms
- Splash of soy sauce
- 1 lb of lean Ground Beef
- 1/2 c. of milk
- can of cream of mushroom soup
- 4oz of sour cream or half the small container (8oz) of sour cream
- can of french cut green beans (make sure they are well drained)
- Bag of Tater Tots - I used the Extra Crispy kind cause I like crunch...
- bag of shredded cheese - I used colby jack but I bet cheddar is just as good, or mix...
1. Melt butter in a pan and add garlic, saute a minute or two and then add the mushrooms. Saute the mushrooms after adding a couple of splashes of soy sauce. Set a aside. Brown ground beef then drain, return to stove and add the mushrooms to the ground beef and let cook for a minute or two. Then add green beans...
2. In a small bowl mix, soup, milk, and sour cream in bowl until smoothish (can't be completely smooth its cream of mushroom soup) and then add to beef/veggie mixture and stir well... Add 2/3 of the cheese and stir well...
3. Layer half the tots in baking dish. (next time I plan to toast this layer for 10 min first for more crunchy bottom...) Pour and spread the beef/veggie mixture over them, layer with the rest of the tots and cheese. (Here's were I sprinkled the Bacon salt, but I think season salt would work here too)
4. Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes until the tater tots are golden and crispy...
