** This is a little recipe my mom made up and called it "Texas Potato's". This is one of those meals my mom used to make and I loved it. It was this kind of smell that I loved coming home to. Oh I miss that....the smell of someone else cooking! A lot of times I could smell it coming home and just prayed it was our dinner I smelled :-) My parents didn't have a very big grocery budget, so my mom would get creative with simple ingredients. Quite a few of those inventions like this one had some funny names. I am proud to say that I make all of those meals my mom made up back then for my family now. Some of them are a little "pumped up" version....sorry mom lol. In my defense it is sort of a family trait to take recipe's and make it your own. This recipe is just ground beef, scalloped potatoes, and cream of mushroom soup. Now I have made a few changes: I added fresh mushrooms, diced onions, fresh garlic, parsley, and various spices. This recipe is so great because you can be really creative with it if you want. I hope that you enjoy this dish as much as my family does. Even though my daughter doesn't like mushrooms, she loves this! You'll have to bear with me…I am a bit like Rachael Ray, I go by taste on seasonings. Here is the recipe:
Texas Potato's
1 lbs. Ground beef
2 to 4 potatoes (depending on how thin you want to slice it) uncooked
3/4 cup diced onion (you can always use more)
1 clove garlic pressed or diced
One package of the baby bella mushrooms sliced
Dried parsley or fresh, about a Tbls.
1 tsp. of garlic salt
1 tsp. of onion powder
A few pinches of pepper
1 can of cream of mushroom soup
1 cup or so of cheddar and jack cheese (you can change to a cheese that you may prefer more)
Preheat oven to 375
Directions: Begin browning the meat in a skillet. Add the onions and sliced mushrooms. Add the seasonings. While the ground beef is cooking start slicing the potatoes. Spray the casserole dish first, and then begin lining the bottom with the sliced potatoes. When the meat is closed to brown add in the fresh garlic. I add it in towards the end so that the garlic doesn’t burn. When mixture is finished, add in the can of cream of mushroom soup. Once that mixture is well mixed begin scooping some of the mixture on the potatoes. Then add another layer of potatoes. Then scoop the remaining amount on top of those potatoes. Cover the dish with foil. This takes about 45 minutes to an hour to cook the potatoes depending on how thick or thin you slice them. I will test the potatoes with a fork, if they are tender I will take the foil off and sprinkle the cheese on top and cook again until the cheese is melted. Then serve Enjoy!
