# Potato casserole



## NaeKid (Oct 17, 2008)

I was babysitting years ago and I needed to come up with a good meal for the three kids (oldest was 12, youngest was 3). They loved it so much that their mom made me write-down the recipe for her. At least once a month, they want "*Uncle's Potato Casserole*"

*Ingredients:*

Potatoes - approx. 6
Milk & Butter
1 pound of ground-beef
1 can of Campbells condensed Cream of Mushroom soup
1 can of canned mushrooms
1 bag of frozen mixed vegitables (peas, beans, carrots, broccoli, colliflower, etc)
Hy's seasoning salt (or your own mix of seasoning salt, recipe here on PreparedSociety)
ThreeCheese mix cheese (Cheddar, Mozza, Montery Jack) or "TexMex" mixed cheese

*Directions:*

Boil potatoes and make basic mashed-potatoes. Squish about half of the potatoes into the bottom of a medium-sized cassarole dish that has a matching glass-lid.
Brown ground-beef in large cast-iron frying pan, do not add spices to the meat. Spread half of ground beef over potato, don't use the excess beef-fat
Drain and spread out the mushrooms over the potato & beef
Spread out a nice layer of frozen vegitables (don't need to use whole bag, a cup or two is good)
Spread out entire can of Cream of Mushroom soup
Spread out rest of ground beef over soup
Spoon-over rest of potatoes and flatten as well as possible
Sprinkle sufficient seasoning salt over the upper-layer of potatoes
Sprinkle sufficient amount of cheese over the top. DO NOT go beyond 3/8" to the top-edge
Cover "very full" cassarole dish with glass lid. 
Bake at 350°F for approx. 45 minutes to 1 hr just to make sure that everything is hot through-out, remove lid and lightly brown the cheese for 7 to 10 minutes before serving. Expect the layers inside the dish to expand upto 1/2" higher from when you made it, possibly lifting the lid if you fill the dish too much.

Feeds 5 to 7 people depending on "side-dishes" that can include garlic-toast, pickled beets, spinach-salad or similar goodies.


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## kappydell (Nov 27, 2011)

MMMM! Potato casserole! Spuds got my parents & a lot of their peers through the 'great' depression. Some dishes are still favorites. Here is one oldie I cooked up just last night - 

Pan-fried Potatoes & Onions.
Take potatoes, as many as you need (typical farmer recipe) and dice them 1/4th inch. You may peel or not (I like them peels & all, in that case, do wash them). When the potatoes are cut up, chop or slice thin 1 or more onions, to taste. Mix with the potato dices. Heat a heavy skillet (I use electric fry pan, cheaper than using the stove, but this works even over a bed of coals) with a coating of bacon fat (adds flavor but any fat will do) until medium hot. Spread in the potatoes and onions, evenly to cover the entire skillet bottom. Reduce heat to med-low and cover; cook about 15 minutes. 
When they smell good open and turn over the potatoes if they are browned enough. They will not turn in once piece, don't worry about it, just get most turned over. Cover, let cook on med low heat another 10 minutes (5 if you are in a rush and they are fork-tender). The key to a good brown crusty spud is med-low heat, a heavy pan, and taking your time to brown the potato nicely.
Put on a plate and serve. Cheese on top is nice if available. Ditto sour cream, which is what my farm forbears used. Cook enough and the meat can be sparse or non-existant. Good also for breakfast, of course.
I have been known to mix a beaten egg or two into the potatoes before frying, for an all in one skillet breakfast (or dinner).


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## gypsysue (Mar 27, 2010)

Oh, yum! Both potato dishes sound great!


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## NaeKid (Oct 17, 2008)

I made a double-batch on the weekend, but, I made a small change to it. Instead of frozen vegies, I put in green-beans and instead of the ground-beef, I put in chunks of bacon-fried venison steaklettes (about two-bite sized). I had bacon for breakfast that I fried in my cast-iron pan (seen in picture on left side of stove), I fried the venison in the yummy bacon fat.

Mashed potatoes on the bottom, canned mushrooms, condensed cream-of-mushroom soup (I used the garlic-n-mushroom variety this time), green-beans, bacon-fried-venison, mashed potatoes, sprinkled on the seasoning salt and this time, I put a habanero cheese on the top instead of the regular jalapeno cheese ... baked it at 300°F till I was hungry (it resided in the oven for about 2hrs, but, it was ready to eat after about 45 minutes) .. and here is a hint of the left-overs from the first caserole-dish.


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## SouthCentralUS (Nov 11, 2012)

I just stole your recipe. Thanks.


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## tsrwivey (Dec 31, 2010)

I grew up on fried taters. We just ate them with ketchup, salt, & pepper. :yummy: I make them then mix them with scrambled eggs & some bacon or sausage. The kids call it breakfast bowl.


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## Grimm (Sep 5, 2012)

Thank you for tomorrow's dinner!


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## lovetogrow (Jan 25, 2011)

Sounds very tasty - like shepherd's pie, Yum


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## NaeKid (Oct 17, 2008)

Just whipped up a fresh batch ... some pictures ... 

One showing the pan-fried deer and the other showing it ready to go into the oven with the seasoning-salt sprinkled on the top.


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## LivinGreen (Mar 26, 2013)

I gotta try that cassorole! Esp. The bacon fried venison. 
Also, I do a similiar pan fried potato recipe. I call my coma taters cuz they always knock you out in a carb coma an hr later. Bacon grease with cheese on top and eat with ketchup. 
My of my top favorites.


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