Tater-Tot Hotdish

As a precursor, here is information from Wik.ipedia regarding "Hotdish": "Hotdish is a of a variety of baked casserole popular in the Midwestern United States, and especially in Minnesota, Wisconsin, North Dakota, and South Dakota. It consists of a starch, a meat or other protein, and a canned and/ or frozen vegetable, mixed together with canned soup. Hotdishes are filling, convenient, easy to make, and well-suited for family reunions, funerals, church suppers, and potlucks, where they may be paired with pan-baked cookies known as bars. The history of the hotdish goes back to when “budget-minded farm wives needed to feed their own families, as well as congregations in the basements of the first Minnesota churches.” And now, what you have all been waiting for, a variation of my little sister's Tater-Tot Hotdish recipe:
Tater-Tot Hotdish
Modified from the Kitchen of Jennifer B.
Oven: 350 degrees
Serves: 6-8 people/pan
Ingredients:
1 tbsp olive oil
1 small onion (or 1/2 large onion), chopped
8 small cloves of garlic (my sister uses garlic-flavored cream of mushroom instead)
1 pound of ground beef
1/2 bag frozen sweet corn
2 cans cream of mushroom soup (I use one low-fat and one-low sodium)
1 and 1/2 cans of milk (use empty soup cans)
1 teaspoon pepper
1 bag of tater tots

Directions:
1. Heat large skillet.

2. Add olive oil, onion, and garlic. Cook until onions are translucent.
3. Add ground beef to pan and cook through.

4. Drain (and rinse) fat off of meat.
5. In a 13" by 9" baking pan, mix hamburger with soup, milk, frozen corn, and pepper.
6. Lay tater tots on top of soup/hamburger mixture
7. Bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees

Serving suggestions: canned green beans if you are going for authenticity; fresh green beans if you want to be fancy; and an iceberg lettuce salad if you are uber-sophisticated. Also, this is probably freezer-friendly, but I have never tried to freeze it.