Success with Tater Tots

I have one of the easiest recipes on earth that anyone should be able to make without a problem. The last few times I made it were horrible experiences. The recipe is the ever simple “Tater Tot Casserole.”

The first time I made it was when I was living with my parents in California and I was in charge of putting dinner together. I preheated the oven, put the casserole in, and waited for the timer to go off. I took the casserole out when the timer went off. My parents came home and I felt really proud that I had made dinner. And then it happened. My stepmom cut into the casserole and the meat was raw! Oh no! How in the world could that happen? OK, maybe it didn’t cook long enough. So we were going to cook the meat in the microwave until it was done and snack on the tater tots. No such luck! They were still frozen.

How in the world could that happen if the oven was on? Well, what I failed to mention was that they have double ovens. I did in fact turn the oven on, but mistakenly put it in the oven that wasn’t heated. I don’t know if they ever made that recipe again! Sorry guys!

The second time I made it was in Templeton, California. I was being a good wife and mom and making dinner for my family before going to a Pampered Chef Show I was giving. We have a food chopper that has the spinning blade (you turn the handle and the blade spins, chopping onions and such). I chopped the onion and set the blade in the sink – leaning against the rag. I went to wipe some cream of chicken soup off on the rag, not seeing the blade there, and sliced my finger open. You know how in movies the blood goes splattering everywhere? That was me! It was even on the ceiling. We ended up in the emergency room where we were charged $300 for me to clean the wound and bandage it up! Nice!

Well, I thought I would try it out one more time and if it was a success I could make it again. It was a success!! Hooray! Everyone enjoyed it. Here is my version of the recipe with some personal adjustments (no raw meat – cooked instead) if you want to give it a try also.

Tater Tot Casserole

1 pound ground beef
Onion, chopped
Can of cream of mushroom
Can of cream of chicken
Bag of tater tots

Preheat oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit. Cook ground beef and chopped onion until meat is cooked. Add cream of chicken and cream of mushroom and combine. Put in the bottom of an 8×8 or 9×9 casserole dish. Pour bag of tater tots over meat. Cook in oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until tater tots are cooked and golden brown. When tater tots are cooked, take casserole out o the oven and layer as much shredded cheddar cheese over the top as you want. Put the casserole back in the oven and cook until cheese is melted. Enjoy!