Yummy Meat & Potato Casserole

I just wanted to share one of our favorite dinners!  (A recipe I found on cooks.com a year or two ago.)We haven't had it in awhile so I decided to make it last night for dinner.  I had forgotten how good it really was!  =0)

The original recipe says to use lamb stew meat, which I've tried since lamb is DaddyGoose's favorite, but since I'm not a fan of lamb I've also tried making it with beef stew meat and chicken, and it's just as tasy!  Also, the recipe says to use a large casserole dish, which to me means 9x13, but I've found that it fits best in either a glass 8x8 or a 2.5qt round dish (as pictured). And I wanted to mention that it says 4 servings, but DaddyGoose and I can easily eat the whole thing in one dinner.  So if you are feeding more than 2, I would reccommend doubling the recipe!

And now the moment you've been waiting for... the recipe!

Meat & Potato Casserole

Servings: 4
Prep Time: 30min (give or take a few)
Cook Time: 2 hours

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbsp. Vegetable Oil
• 1 1/2 lbs. Stew Meat (lamb, beef, chicken, other?)
• 1 Onion, sliced or chopped
• 2 Carrots, sliced
• 1 Tbsp. Flour, all-purpose
• 1/2 c. White Wine (sub w/ White Grape Juice, Apple Juice or Chicken Broth)
• 1 c. Beef Stock
• 1 Tbsp. Tomato Paste
• 1 Tbsp. Brown Sugar
• Salt
• Pepper
• 1 tsp. Dill Weed
• 4 c. Potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced (about 1/2 a med potato)
• 1 Tbsp. Butter, melted

Directions:
~ Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease casserole dish.
~ Heat oil in skillet over med heat.  Add meat and saute until browned.  With slotted spoon transfer meat to casserole dish.
~ Add onions and carrots to fat remaining in skillet, and saute 2 min.  Stir in flour and cook 1 min.  Gradually stir in wine and stock.  Bring mixture to a boil, stirring frequently.  Remove from heat.
~ Stir in tomato paste and sugar.  Season with salt and pepper.  Spoon mixture over meat in dish, then stir in dill weed.
~ Arrange sliced potatoes over contents of casserole (in single layer).  Brush with melted butter, then cover with foil or lid.
~ Bake for 1 1/2 hours.
~ Increase ove heat to 400 degrees, remove lid, and bake 30 more minutes until potatoes are tender and golden.

It is a VERY time consuming dish, so it's best for the weekend or a day when you don't have plans, but it is worth the wait!  I promise!