Texas Taters!

    It feels like it's been quite a while since I have posted here, and for that I do apologize! It always seems like when I set out to do something, ten other things come first-UGH! Anyways, I do promise to be better about my recipe tests and posting them sooner.

   With that being said, this blog post I am sharing a recipe called "Texas Potatoes" which came from this pin. I did change the title a bit, I thought Texas Taters rolled off the tongue better...Anyways, this one is a bit more involved than what I normally make and review but I am trying to be more diverse.


THE RECIPE:

What you will need:

• 1 lb. ground beef (I recommend getting it as lean as possible)
• 2 to 4 potatoes (depending on size and how thin you slice them*), uncooked
•  3/4 cup diced onion 
• 1 clove garlic, minced or pressed (I minced mine)
• One package baby bella mushrooms, sliced (I omitted this from mine because my family is not a fan of mushrooms)
• 1 Tbsp. of fresh or dried parsley (I used dried)
• 1 tsp. garlic salt
• 1 tsp. onion powder
• a few pinches of pepper
• 1 can cream of mushroom soup
• 1 cup cheddar-jack cheese (or any cheese you prefer), shredded

*If you have a mandolin to slice potatoes with, that will make your life much easier! I sliced mine 1/4" thick

Here's the ingredients

1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
2. While that heats up, start browning your ground beef over medium/medium high. Add in your diced onions and seasonings.

   

    (Pic 2) Looks beautiful!

   
   

   (see Pics 2 & 3)

   

   (Pic 3) It smells so yummy, my mouth is watering!

3. While the beef is getting browned, wash (if you haven't already) and skin the potatoes. Start slicing them.  

   

   (Pic 4) Remember a mandolin will make this easy!

4.  Spray the bottom of the casserole dish and line it with a layer of sliced potatoes (see Pic 5). 

   

   (Pic 5) Not sure why it's upside down...

5. When the beef is close to being browned, add the pressed/minced garlic. Mix well (Pic 6). 

   

   (Pic 6) Garlic added!

6. Add your can of mushroom soup, mix well over low heat (Pic 7).
7. Scoop about half of your beef mixture over the first layer of sliced potatoes, covering all the potatoes (Pic 8).
8. Add another layer of potatoes using the remaining slices.
9. Scoop the remaining beef mixture on top of the last layer of potatoes. 

   

   (Pic 7) added the soup

   
   

   

   (Pic 8) 1st layer of meat mixture on top of 1st layer of potatoes

   
   

   

   (Pic 9) 2nd layer of potatoes added

   
   

   

   (Pic 10) 2nd layer of meat mixture

10. Cover with foil and bake for 45-60 minutes. Bake until your potatoes are fork tender.
11. Remove the foil and sprinkle the shredded cheese on top. Bake until the cheese is melted (about 10 minutes).

 (I will apologize that I do not have a finished product photo, my phone battery died before I could finish taking pictures of my creation).

REVIEW-FAMILY VERDICT:
This was a very tasty dish, and everyone in my family loved it! So I definitely added this into our dinner rotation. I do have a few things I would like to try for this recipe in the future. One, I will probably add some kind of veggie into it the next time- I am thinking corn, or even a chipotle seasoned corn. Ooooh I bet that would be good! I may even leave the skin on the potatoes once (if I can keep my family from seeing that...they don't like skins like I do). So if my picky family loved this, I am willing to bet yours will to!

SUGGESTIONS/TIPS:
 If you are like me, you probably were asking during the first few steps if the beef needed to be drained of the grease or not before adding the garlic or cream of mushroom soup. I honestly had no idea (and if you clicked on the pin link, and then the link from that pin it never says whether or not to). So I assumed that you do NOT drain the grease. I think it does add flavor, however, this is why I suggested using as lean of ground beef as possible. The one I used was 80/20 and while it was delicious, it did look a tad greasy to me. I don't think it affected anything else, just didn't look as appetizing as it could have. I think if I had drained the grease it may not have cooked right, or tasted dry. So do NOT drain your ground beef after cooking!

If you try this recipe or have a different variation of it, please feel free to comment below. I love hearing other suggestions and stories.

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•  Yummy in the Tummy- this one has all kind of goodies, from quick and easy party foods to ooey-gooey baked goodies
• Healthy Things- I am trying to lose weight and get back into shape, so my healthy recipes (and some exercises and other healthy stuff) are found here
• Cooking and Baking Tips- Not recipes but a few helpful tips, tricks and whatnot for cooking and baking.
• Drink Concoctions- Both alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks are found here
• Chicken...I'm going to eat every flippin' chicken on this board- Well, this combines my love of chicken and Game of Thrones (that's why the board is named what it is, after one of my favorite quotes in the show). There are lots of goodies in here that I will be posting here soon!

I am also in the process of adding more, especially with grilling season upon us! If you wish to follow ME, you can find me here.

I'm also game for any suggestions from YOU. If you have a recipe to share, please send it to my on Pinterest (or you can post a link in the comments) and you may see it on here someday!

...Let's see what else we can brew in my kitchen!

Bright Blessings to all!!