Walz Wins Franken’s Hotdish Contest with this Recipe

Senator Al Franken has been hosting a Hotdish cook-off for the last six years. The friendly competition was started as a way to bring Minnesota's delegation together. This year's contest was won by Representive Tim Walz. Walz prepared a Turkey Taco Hotdish. See the recipe below.

-­‐ 1 lb ground turkey
-­‐ 1 large red bell pepper (or two medium ones) -­‐ 1 yellow onion
-­‐ 1 can sliced black olives
-­‐ 1 can diced mild green chilies
-­‐ 1 bottle taco sauce (medium)
-­‐ 1 16 oz sour cream
-­‐ 1 bag of frozen tots
-­‐ 4 cups shredded cheddar cheese
-­‐ 3 cups sweet corn
-­‐ cherry tomatoes
-­‐ green onions
-­‐ shredded iceberg lettuce
-­‐ paprika
-­‐ chili powder
-­‐ onion powder
-­‐ garlic powder
-­‐ olive oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Dice the onion and bell pepper into 1-­‐inch dice and sauté in 1 tablespoon of olive oil, salt and pepper for 15 minutes, until tender. Remove onion and bell pepper and set aside in a mixing bowl. Brown turkey. In a small bowl, mix 2 teaspoons each of paprika, chili powder, onion powder and garlic powder. Add half of mixture to the turkey while browning. Reserve the other half of mixture to sprinkle over the tots prior to baking. When finished, add the turkey in with the sautéed onion and bell pepper. Add black olives, sweet corn, chilies, taco sauce, 2 cups of cheese, and sour cream. Stir mixture until combined. Pour into a baking dish and sprinkle the remaining 2 cups of cheese on top. Add tots on top of the mixture and cheese. Sprinkle spice mixture on top of tots. Bake in 400 degree oven for 45 minutes or until tots are crispy and golden brown. After removing from the oven, sprinkle with shredded lettuce, green onions and diced tomato.  Serve with sour cream, hot sauce, avocado, cilantro or your favorite taco topping.