Saturday Share - Recipe - Cheesy Meat and Potato Bake

 If you have a man in the family, chances are he'll claim to be a Meat and Potatoes guy. I think most of the male population can make that claim.

Today I'm sharing what I call a Deadline Dinner—something easy I can throw together if I'm on a deadline and have little time to prepare a meal.

This main dish is inexpensive and calls for only 7  ingredients and it takes only 5-10 minutes to throw it together and pop it into the oven where it will bake 50-60 minutes.

Best of all, it tastes delicious and any leftovers keep well. I'll give you 2 versions of this recipe.

One is Tex-Mex (because I've lived in Texas most of my adult life), and 1 is Creole (because I grew up in Louisiana).  

CHEESY MEAT AND POTATO BAKE

Ingredients

1 pound ground beef 

2 large potatoes, sliced about a quarter-inch thick like for potato au gratin

Order from Amazon

1 medium onion, diced

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 to 1 and 1/2 cup grated cheese (Jack and/or Colby)

Creole Version: Use Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning which I use instead of salt and pepper. If your local grocery doesn't stock it, you can order it from Amazon.

Creole Version Herb: 1 teaspoon dried thyme

Tex-Mex Version: Use Fiesta Fajita Seasoning which comes in a salt-free version so if you get there, you'll need to use about a teaspoon of salt to season the meat and potatoes. I've included a link to Amazon if your grocer doesn't stock this item.

Tex-Mex Version Herb: 1/2 teaspoon Chili powder and 1/2 teaspoon cumin. Increase these amounts if you like it extra spicy.

Instructions

from Amazon

1. Prepare the vegetables in advance and grate the cheese.

2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

3. In a large skillet or ovenproof dish, brown the ground beef. When it's half-way browned, throw in the diced onion and saute for about 5 minutes. Sprinkle in the garlic powder, the seasoning, and the herb. Stir to combine.

4. Turn the burner off or removed from the heat if it's an electric stove. Layer the potato slices on top, sprinkle the seasoning (salt if you're using the salt-free seasoning) over the potatoes, sprinkle with  cheese. Add another potato, seasonings, and cheese layer which should finish with cheese on top.

5. Cover with an oven-proof lid or foil and bake about 50 minutes. Remove lid and bake another 10 minutes to brown the top. Serve immediately.

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

I think your family will love this main dish. Let me know if you try it.