Spicy Au Gratin Beef Bake

I had some boxed Au Gratin potatoes and some ground beef and really didn't know what to do with it,so I started to look through a lot of recipes. ( and I mean a lot :) ) And then got an idea from one of those "TOH" Ground Beef grocery store cookbooks.So I changed a few things around, such as seasonings and the way it was prepared.If you want you can change the amounts of the seasonings to suit your own personal tastes.Last but not least, I want to thank Chef#59686 and Chef#101376 for coming up with the name for this recipe :) .Submitted to "ZAAR" on October 16th,2008

• Ready In: 55 mins
• Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 3⁄4 lb ground beef
• 1⁄3 cup  finely chopped  white onion
• 1⁄2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1⁄4 teaspoon seasoning salt
• 1 (5 1/4ounce) package au gratin potatoes
• 2  cups boiling water
• 2⁄3 cup milk
• 1  teaspoon  melted butter or 1  teaspoon margarine
• 1⁄4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1⁄4 cup  of shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. In a medium non-stick skillet, over medium heat, add the first 4 ingredients and cook until meat is no longer pink and onion is tender.
3. Drain if needed.
4. While meat mixture is browning, boil water.
5. In a large bowl add rest of ingredients except shredded cheese. Mix well.
6. Pour into a greased or sprayed 2-quart baking dish.
7. Cover with lid or foil and bake for 30 minutes.
8. Sprinkle with cheese and bake until cheese is melted and lightly browned.