This is one of my children's favorite dish, and it's a great way to utilize extra mashed potatoes, hunting season's bounty as well as get an additional freezer meal into that oversized white appliance, many call a freezer. I doubled the recipe for this post.
4 pounds ground deer, elk or beef (My preference is to use the harvest from hunting season)
12 servings mashed potatoes (Using instant potatoes is also an easy to incorporate here for this recipe if you don't want to make mashed potatoes or have leftovers.)
16 ounces corn, (Canned or frozen is great, but I drain the water from the cans or microwave the frozen corn for a couple minutes, and then drain those before I add them to the casserole)
2 tablespoons beef broth
2 tablespoons minced dried onion flakes
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon dried parsley
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
8 oz medium cheddar cheese, grated
Salt and pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brown the ground meat and add broth, onion, garlic, parsley, Worcestershire sauce and salt and pepper to taste. Drain the meat if there's is excess grease, but be sure to leave the meat slightly moist (minimal dampness when patted off with a paper towel) for the dish. Open the cans of corn, or cook frozen corn in microwave for about 3 minutes, and drain all water off corn either way prepared. Prepare the instant potatoes per the box directions, or reheat left over mashed potatoes until they are easy to spread. Layer the meat, next the corn, and then spread the mashed potatoes, evenly, across the entire dish. Sprinkle the shredded cheese, evenly, over the top of the casserole, and cover with aluminum foil. Bake at 350 for about 25 minutes, remove the aluminum foil and cook for another 5 minutes until the cheese is melted evenly. Remove and let cool for 5 minutes before serving. Add salt and pepper to taste, and serve with homemade croissants or bread. Enjoy!