Meatloaf and Mash Potato Casserole #recipe #giveaway @vmburns

 VMBURNS: Recently, I wanted comfort food. One of my favorites is Shepherd's Pie. So, I took the ground beef out of the freezer to defrost and went about my day. When it was time to cook, I realized that while I had the potatoes, I didn't have peas and carrots for meat filling. Time to switch tactics. I scrolled through my recipes and decided to make a meatloaf. I almost always eat mashed potatoes with my meatloaf, so that was fine. But, as I was scrolling through recipes I ran across a meatloaf recipe with mashed potatoes and topped with cheese that was combined like Shepherd's Pie. PERFECT! 

MEATLOAF CASSEROLE

INGREDIENTS

• 1 lb ground beef
• ½ cup plain breadcrumbs
• 1 egg
• ¼ cup ketchup
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• 3 cups mashed potatoes 
• ¼ cup sour cream
• 4 tablespoon butter
• Salt & pepper, to taste
• 1 ½ cups shredded cheddar cheese

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 375 and grease a casserole dish.
2. Combine the ground beef, bread crumbs, egg, ketchup, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper in a large bowl and mix with your hands. 
   
3. Press the meat into the bottom of the casserole dish, and bake uncovered for approximately 20 minutes.
   
   
   
   
4. Peel and quarter the potatoes, and boil until fork tender. Drain and return the potatoes to the pot. Reduce the heat and mash until smooth. 
   
   
   
5. Turn off the heat and add butter, sour cream, salt and pepper. 
   
   
   
   
6. Remove the meatloaf and spread the mashed potatoes on top of the meat layer. Sprinkle the cheese on top of the casserole and bake until the cheese is melted and bubbly, approximately 10 minutes. 
   
   
    

READERS: My publisher gave me a code for a free audio copy of Murder at First Slice. So, if you have a Spotify account, then you can listen for free. If you don't have a Spotify account, no problem. I still want to hear your answer. Just type NO Spotify with your comment. What's your favorite comfort food? Let me know in the comments below. 

MURDER AT FIRST SLICE 

As Maddy’s wedding day approaches, friends and family descend on the little town of New Bison, Michigan, to celebrate—so much so that Maddy wonders if there might be another happily-ever-after in store for her widowed father and innkeeper Mrs. Law. Unfortunately, she also has to deal with an unhappy couple: feuding cousins Hannah and Dorothy, who haven’t spoken in decades. Maddy can only hope the spectacular wedding cake crafted by her head baker doesn’t wind up as ammunition in a food fight.

But she doesn’t have to wait long for a wedding disaster to strike. When the imperious Dorothy crashes the rehearsal dinner—with several uninvited guests in tow—and starts battering everyone with constant complaints, the drama reaches reality-show levels. And the next day, Dorothy is dead . . . with Hannah standing over the body, bloody rolling pin in hand.

Nobody in town believes Miss Hannah could commit murder. But a detective newly