This recipe is a great base, and it really is one of those staples that just about all of our mothers probably made at some point. It's also, obviously, a variation of Shepard's pie. I've tried the recipe as-is and while good...I just felt like it needed some help. I use a can of tomato sauce instead of the soup and I toss in some sliced fresh mushrooms. The real change is in the potatoes. I roast 2 heads of garlic with olive oil and rosemary. While that's roasting I cook the potatoes, unpeeled, in chicken stock, then drain... and reserve some of the cooking liquid. I add the garlic to the potatoes, then mash that up with some Kosher salt and cracked peppercorns. Then I heat the butter, some sour cream, heavy cream (or crème fraîche if I have it...whole milk if I have neither) and the reserved stock from the potatoes until it forms a nice, warm sauce (don't boil it!). The warm sauce is then mashed in with the potato and garlic mixture. Once that is done, I mix in some chopped green onions and cubed cheddar cheese. It's a lumpy, gooey mess of mashed potatoes, but it is amazingly good and helps add a little something to the dish that everyone seems to really like. So, really... it's essentially the same dish but I just do a much fancier mashed potato dish on top.

Reviewed On: Apr. 7, 2009

This is a FABULOUS recipe. Is it really the 'World's Best'? Eh, that's debatable, but it sure could be a contender. Everybody raves about it when I make it. After making this several times, I've learned that I need to double the ricotta mixture. By doing this, I make three layers and use all of the sauce. I always throw in fresh mushrooms to the meat sauce, too. Also, to save time and energy, I use the Barilla flat no bake lasagne noodles. In a 9x13 dish, use 6 noodles on each layer -- which means you'll use one full box and part of a second. The noodles bake up just fine and are wonderful. No soaking or boiling needed at all.

Reviewed On: Apr. 5, 2009

This is FANTASTIC. Don't be tempted to embellish on this one, folks... it really doesn't need any help. The chicken is amazingly moist and tasty. The only thing that I did differently is that I rubbed some of the margarine and spices under the skin of the chicken as well as on top. Once you're done and have only a carcass left, be sure to save it for making stock later!

Reviewed On: Mar. 18, 2009