Beef and Baked Potato...Casserole?

I debated whether or not to even post this recipe, since it sort of turned out to be a disaster. Well, okay, it wasn't a disaster, but I had a few...issues while I was putting it together. And since this blog is supposed to be about my messes as well as my successes in the kitchen, here it is: a mess.

The beef mixture was supposed to be stuffed inside hollowed-out baked potatoes, but as you can see from the above picture, that didn't happen for me. When I tried to scoop out the meat of the potato, I kept tearing the skin (even though I was being "careful," just as the recipe instructed). About halfway through, I was getting frustrated and thought, "Screw it. I'll just turn it into a casserole." And that's what I did. I'm not a big baked-potato-skin person, anyway. (Also, I somehow spilled the can of green chiles all over myself, because I'm just graceful like that. Thankfully, most of them were salvageable.)

This is just an okay recipe. And I think I can judge it fairly, since really the only thing my version was missing was the potato skins. Even with the green chiles and chili powder, it was a little bit bland. I can't pinpoint what exactly it needed, but it definitely needed something.

I've posted a link to the original recipe, since maybe some of you out there know how to stuff a potato better than I do. That's what I get for trying to do something fussy!

Beef-Stuffed Potatoes (or, Beef and Baked Potato Casserole)
Source: adapted from Taste of Home's Recipe Card Collection (special edition magazine); original recipe can be found here

6 medium baking potatoes
1 pound ground beef
2 tablespoons chopped onion
1/3 cup sour cream
1 can (4 ounces) chopped green chiles
3 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1. Bake potatoes at 375 degrees for 1 hour or until tender. Cool. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook the beef and onion over medium heat until the meat is no longer pink; drain.

2. Cut a thin slice off the top of each potato and scoop out pulp, discarding most of the skins. Place pulp in bowl and add sour cream, chilies, butter, Worcestershire sauce, salt, garlic powder and chili powder; mash or beat. Stir in meat mixture until combined.

3. Pour into a 2-quart casserole dish and sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes, or until heated through.