Dining with the Duggars

Earlier this week, we discussed the Duggars on Crasstalk, and their very interesting Tater Tot Casserole recipe was mentioned. Never one to back down from a challenge, I decided to see what made this so special that it was “One of Daddy’s Favorites!” Here is the recipe in its entirety:

DUGGAR’s TATER TOT CASSEROLE

2 lb ground turkey cooked, seasoned, drained
3 2lb bags tater tots
2 cans cream of mushroom
2 cans evaporated milk
2 cans cream of chicken
Brown meat and place in large casserole dish.
Cover with tater tots. Mix soup and milk together.
Pour over top. Bake at 350 for 1 Hour.
(One of Daddy’s Favorites!) Makes two 9” x 13” pans

Tres chic, no? Time to get ingredients. Don’t be fooled by the exotic components, most of these items can be found at your local grocery store. Since I’m not feeding a family of 20, I decided to half the recipe. When I bake, this is a bitch to accomplish, but this recipe is so elegant in it’s simplicity that halving it was a cinch. So, with my ingredients gathered, it was time to begin.

1) Brown meat and place in a large casserole dish – Simply enough. I decided to take a big risk and add some dill, oregano and bay to the mixture, since I’ve had Midwest cooking before.

2) Cover with tater tots – Being lazy, I just dumped everything in the pan. I’ve seen pictures where the tots are lined up in rows. Sorry folks, but that’s too much for work for this dish.

3) Mix soup and milk together and pour over top – I wasn’t sure if I was going to have enough of the gloopy mess to cover all the tater tots, but I managed to make it work. The middle *was* a bit thicker then the edges, but I hoped it would settle in the oven.

4) Bake at 350 for 1 hour – No prob! I watched TV while the casserole baked. This is what it looked like when it came out of the oven! My roommate commented on the scent (smells good!) when it came out of the oven, but since he’ll eat anything, I didn’t think much of it.

Finally, the taste test! I wanted to pair this with a smooth chateunfeuf D d’Soleil, but I had to settle for Cherry Limeade. Unsurprisingly, this was completely bland (like some of the men I date!). The meat mixed effortlessly with the tater tots until I couldn’t tell where one began and the other ended, held together by the soup/milk mixture. I believe that the Power of God must have been a part of the recipe since not even the dill could inject flavor into this dish. It was truly a recipe for those who need nothing more then the love of God in their lives.

Time – 5 out of 5 Guys. Actually work was 15 minutes, though, you still have to wait an hour for it to bake.