After we had finished making our Crabapple Jelly yesterday, my sister and I decided to take a little road trip and look up the farm where we had gotten our crabapples from. I really love these impromptu trips we take, they are always so much fun.
We did not find anything much at the place where the apples came from, but we went a bit further and explored the Dempsey Corner Farmer's Market, and then we came back to our old friend, Goucher's farm market and then home.
I picked up a package of their frozen extra lean ground beef at Goucher's. I really like it. Its organic and locally produced. It is frozen right after grinding. I like that its fresh and sourceable. Its also very lean and tastes great.
I had in mind to do something with ground beef today. Specifically I had this Cheesy Tater Tot Meatloaf Casserole that I had seen on a blog entitled This is Not Diet Food. (How can you not love a blog with a name like that!! Its impossible!)
I am a huge fan of casseroles. I love them. Whole meals in one for the most part, with delicious mixes of flavors and textures, they are every mother/homemaker's best friend.
They are not something my mother ever made when I was growing up. It was a very rare thing. My father did not like casseroles. He liked all the elements of his meal to be separate and identifiable on his plate.
One thing I really like about casseroles is that they are often a way of stretching small amounts of protein to feed more people. They are also a great way to use up leftovers and store cupboard ingredients.
They are great for taking to covered dish or pot luck suppers. Good for any kind of get together really. Most people like casseroles. Perfectly portable and deliciously economical.
This recipe I am sharing today really appealed to me. It has one of my favorites, Meatloaf, as a base and is topped with another favorite. Tater Tots. Who does not love both of those things! Cover it with cheese and you have a really winning combination! I did cut the recipe back to feed only 2 to 3 people, depending on appetites.
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE CHEESY TATER TOT MEATLOAF CASSEROLE
Its pretty simple really, other than the tater tots you will probably already have everything in your kitchen/larder now.
For the meatloaf base
- 8 ounces (250g/1/2 pound) extra lean ground beef
- 1/4 cup (20g) buttery cracker crumbs (something like Ritz or Tuc)
- 1 TBS (10g) dry onion soup mix
- 1 TBS dry powdered milk
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 large free range egg, lightly beaten
- 1 TBS tomato ketchup
- 1 TBS your favorite BBQ sauce
- 2 TBS tomato ketchup
- 2 TBS your favorite BBQ sauce
- approximately 16 - 20 frozen tater tots
- 1 cup (120g) grated cheddar cheese
- 2 TBS crispy French fried onions, crumbed (Such as French's or Durkees) (In the UK use crispy salad onions)
Dry onion soup mix is a fairly common ingredient here in North America, but I do understand that it can be difficult to procure in the EU. I used to buy mine by the tub on Amazon. I forget the brand that it was. If you can't find it you can use some dried onion flakes and a quantity of beef bullion powder. I would use about 1 TBS of the onion flakes, and 1 tsp of the bullion powder.
The dry milk powder is my own addition. I think it adds a certain richness to a meatloaf mix. You can leave it out if you wish, but if you have it I do recommend trying it!
The original recipe called for Ritz crackers, but any type of buttery cracker will work. Town House, Ritz, Tuc. I just pop them into a zip lock baggie, close it tightly and then roll my rolling pin over the baggie to crush them.
In the UK Tater Tots will also be difficult to find, but you can use those tiny frozen potato waffles that children enjoy, or potato croquettes, or even the frozen hashbrown crowns. All would work well. You could even use frozen chips.
I used a grated cheddar cheese mix, of both white and orange cheddars. Medium strength. The original recipe called for a mix of cheddar and Mozzarella.
I will be honest here, I don't think Mozzarella has much flavor. It does produce a lot of goo, but the flavor is so mild I thought it would get lost in all of the other flavors. This cheddar mix worked very well.
HOW TO MAKE CHEESY TATER TOT MEATLOAF CASSEROLE
Like any casserole much of the appeal comes in the ease of preparation as well as the combo of flavors. This is a really simple make.
Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4. Butter a shallow casserole dish which is roughly 5 by 8 inches in size.Crumble the meat into a bowl. Add the cracker crumbs, onion soup mix, powdered milk, egg, BBQ sauce, Ketchup and salt and black pepper to taste. Mix together well and then spoon into the baking dish, leveling it off.Whisk the tomato ketchup and the BBQ Sauce for the glaze together. Spread this over top of the meatloaf mixture. Place the frozen tater tots on top of the glaze. Cover tightly with aluminum foil.Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Uncover. Scatter the cheese over top and sprinkle on the crispy onions. Bake for a further 35 to 40 minutes, or until the beef is cooked through and the cheese is beginning to brown.Remove from the oven and leave to rest for 5 to 8 minutes before slicing to serve. This is delicious!
This was hearty, delicious and filling. I trimmed and halved some fresh brussels sprouts and tossed them with a bit of oil and seasoning and roasted them on a small baking sheet along side of the casserole as it was baking.
I served the casserole, along with the roasted sprouts, a slice of rye bread (because I need to use it up) and some Mustard Beans pickles and Pickled Beets that I had picked up at the farm market. It was altogether, a very delicious supper!
Some other ground beef casseroles in my English Kitchen that you might also enjoy are:
OVEN HASH - Economical and honest ingredients combined to make a delicious meal that your family will love. Not a hash with potatoes, but a delicious mixture of spiced minced beef, baked with tomatoes, onions and noodles. Comfort food. Family food. Simple, maybe . . . but never plain.COTTAGE PIE WITH POTATO COBBLES -This may be the most delicious Cottage Pie you've ever eaten and I don't make that claim lightly! Tender beef in a rich and tasty gravy, topped with potato cobbles. Potato cobbles are simply boiled potatoes cut into thick slices and layered on top of that rich beefy gravy, brushed with melted butter, sprinkled with cheese and baked until golden brown.
Cheesy Tater Tot Meatloaf Casserole
Yield: 2 - 3Author: Marie RaynerPrep time: 10 MinCook time: 1 H & 10 MInactive time: 8 MinTotal time: 1 H & 28 MWhat you get here is a tasty casserole with a layer of glazed meatloaf on the bottom, topped with crispy tater tots and plenty of cheese. Sized for 2 - 3 people, this is delicious! All you need is a vegetable on the side.Ingredients
For the meatloaf base- 8 ounces (250g/1/2 pound) extra lean ground beef
- 1/4 cup (20g) buttery cracker crumbs (something like Ritz or Tuc)
- 1 TBS (10g) dry onion soup mix
- 1 TBS dry powdered milk
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 large free range egg, lightly beaten
- 1 TBS tomato ketchup
- 1 TBS your favorite BBQ sauce
- 2 TBS tomato ketchup
- 2 TBS your favorite BBQ sauce
- approximately 16 - 20 frozen tater tots
- 1 cup (120g) grated cheddar cheese
- 2 TBS crispy French fried onions, crumbed (Such as French's or Durkees) (In the UK use crispy salad onions)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4. Butter a shallow casserole dish which is roughly 5 by 8 inches in size.
- Crumble the meat into a bowl. Add the cracker crumbs, onion soup mix, powdered milk, egg, BBQ sauce, Ketchup and salt and black pepper to taste. Mix together well and then spoon into the baking dish, leveling it off.
- Whisk the tomato ketchup and the BBQ Sauce for the glaze together. Spread this over top of the meatloaf mixture.
- Place the frozen tater tots on top of the glaze. Cover tightly with aluminum foil.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Uncover. Scatter the cheese over top and sprinkle on the crispy onions.
- Bake for a further 35 to 40 minutes, or until the beef is cooked through and the cheese is beginning to brown.
- Remove from the oven and leave to rest for 5 to 8 minutes before slicing to serve. This is delicious!
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