Taco Pie

A friend of mine posted this recipe on Facebook a while ago and I thought I would give it a try.  Time went by and when I finally decided to make it, I couldn't find her post.  I went on line and found that many people had posted this recipe and many people had commented on it saying how they had made it and it was so easy and great.  People lie on the internet. . . really.  Not that it isn't good--it is, but if they used the same kind of potato flakes as I did (how many different kinds are there?), it was not quick and easy.  Because it has potato flakes and it is a taco pie, K.C. dubbed it "Potaco Pie."

Potaco Pie

Ingredients
1/4 cup butter
2/3 cup milk
1 package taco seasoning mix
2 1/2 cups mashed potato flakes (you could also use left over mashed potatoes and omit the butter and milk)
1 pound ground beef
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup salsa
1 cup shredded lettuce
1 medium tomato, chopped
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
Sour cream, optional

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium sauce pan, melt butter. Add milk and 2 tablespoon taco seasoning. Remove from heat and add potato flakes until incorporated. Press mixture into the bottom of a 10-inch pan.
2. Bake for 7-10 minutes until it just BARELY turns golden brown.
3. In a medium skillet, cook beef and onions until beef is browned and cooked through. Drain. Add Salsa and remaining taco seasoning. Cook until bubbly.
4. Pour into crust. Bake for 15 minutes, or until crust is golden brown.
5. Let cool for 5 minutes. Top with cheese, lettuce, and tomatoes. Cut and serve with sour cream.

Important Notes: 

 I was using the potato flakes that you get at Costco.  They come in little pouches that make enough for your family.  I opened one up and measured how many potato flakes came in one pouch--1 1/4 cup.  Perfect!  I would need two pouches to equal the 2 1/2 cups called for in the recipe.  I melted my butter and added my milk and then added one pouch of flakes.  As I mixed it I thought--"Hmm, this looks like the right consistency for pie crust right now.  What will happen when I add another 1 1/4 cups of flakes?"  Wanting to follow the recipe exactly, I added the rest of the flakes.  I ended up with a big bowl of taco-flavored dust.  Not very crust-looking.  I put it in the pie plate and it filled the entire plate, no room for anything else.  This is when I started to doubt the honesty of many people on the internet.  Maybe I just had the wrong flakes.  I melted more butter and added more milk and essentially doubled the crust recipe.  I divided it in half and it worked perfectly in my crust.

Also, I added some refried beans that I had in the fridge to the meat mixture. I think it helped keep the pie together.

We actually really like our "Potaco Pie," which is lucky because I have an extra batch of taco-flavored crust sitting in my freezer in a Ziploc bag!