Cowboy Mashed Potato Casserole

• total time: 1 hour

Ingredients

cooking spray

6 strips bacon

2 pounds baking potatoes, peeled and chopped

1 (5 ounce) can evaporated milk or whole milk

2 tablespoons butter

1 1/2 teaspoons salt, divided

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided

1 pound ground beef

1 cup chopped onion

1 green bell pepper, chopped

1 cup frozen whole kernel corn

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 1/2 teaspoons smoked paprika

1/4 cup barbecue sauce

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1/2 cup shredded Cheddar or pepper Jack cheese

1/4 cup canned French fried onions

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley

Directions

Gather all ingredients. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a 2-quart baking dish with cooking spray. Place dish on a baking sheet.

Cook bacon in a large skillet over medium, turning occasionally, until crisp, about 10 minutes. Place bacon on a paper towel to drain. Drain all but 1 Tbsp of bacon fat in the skillet. Chop bacon when cool enough to handle.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add potatoes and return to a boil. Cook, covered, until potatoes are fork tender, 15-20 minutes. Drain potatoes. Return potatoes back to the pot along with evaporated milk, butter, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp pepper.

Mash potatoes with a potato masher until smooth. Stir 1/4 c chopped bacon into mashed potatoes.

Add ground beef, onion, and bell pepper to the skillet with reserved bacon fat. Cook over medium until meat is browned and cooked through, stirring occasionally, 8-10 minutes.

Add corn kernels, garlic, and paprika to the skillet. Cook and stir for 1 minute.

Stir in barbecue sauce, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, remaining 1 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp pepper.

Spread ground beef mixture in prepared baking dish.

Spread potatoes evenly over beef. Sprinkle with cheese, remaining bacon, and French fried onions.

Bake until bubbly and cheese is melted, 20-25 minutes. Garnish with parsley before serving.