Hashbrown Casserole

Happy Easter ( x 2!!)


This year I hosted an informal brunch for our family.  The holidays are always so hectic for everyone, it's nice to offer a relaxed, come-whenever-you-can, no-pressure option.  After all, it's a holiday!  What good is a holiday if you're so busy running around every place that you can't enjoy it and relax a bit?

That being said, I wanted to make some brunchy, hearty food that I could offer my family when they stopped by.  The trick is keeping it warm; because to me, there's nothing better than a hot breakfast/brunch to remind you to slow down and savor a holiday.  I already had a breakfast casserole planned with eggs and sausage-- the obvious compliment to it would have to include potatoes. 

Say it with me: "MMmmmmm..... carbs........ "

I have had breakfast-potatoey goodness at other family functions, but never grabbed a recipe for them.  After making a mental note to be more aggressive about getting recipes from friends and family members, I went to allrecipes.com and found the one I wanted to use.  As usual, I paused to consider whether or not I really wanted to try a new recipe for company-- but then I figured it was potatoes, cheese, butter, onions, and sour cream-- how bad could it be?? 

Source:  allrecipes.com (with my modifications and commentary)

Ingredients:

1  2-pound bag of frozen hashbrown potatoes, thawed-- (For those of you who are "details people," the amount on the bag actually says 1 LB. 14 OZ, so don't let that throw you off)

1/2 c. melted butter

1 can of condensed cream of chicken soup

8 oz. sour cream

1/2 c. chopped onions-- (And for those of you who hate to measure veggies, like me, this ended up being a little less than half of an onion.  I measured this time, since it was for company, but I'm quite sure I won't measure in the future.  Because I hate measuring chopped/sliced/minced veggies.)

2 c. shredded cheddar cheese

1 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. black pepper

2 c. crushed cornflake cereal

1/4 c. melted butter

Directions:

**I ended up making this the day before, then baking it the day of the event.  These directions are slightly different than the original recipe instructions.**

Day Before

1.  Make sure your hashbrown potatoes are nice and thawed. In a large bowl, combine everything except for the last 2 ingredients.  (those will be combined and added right before it goes in the oven.)  If you're like me, and not afraid to get your hands dirty, go ahead and mix it by hand.  This was MUCH more effective than mixing with a spoon.  But be careful, it'll be cold!!

2.  Place potato mixture in a  2 1/2 - 3 quart casserole dish.  Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Day Of

1.  Preheat the oven for 350 degrees. 

While the oven is preheating, take out the potato mixture so the dish has a chance to warm up a bit before going directly into the oven.  I know some bakeware is designed to go straight from the fridge to the oven, but I'm neurotic about breaking dishes, so I do everything I can NOT to :))

2.  To make the topping, melt 1/4 c. butter in a microwavable bowl.  Meanwhile, crush the cornflake topping in a separate bowl.  Combine the butter and cornflakes, then add to the top of the potato mixture.

3.  Bake for 40-60 minutes (uncovered), or till cooked throughout. 

The original recipe calls for 40 minutes of baking time, but I felt like it wasn't hot enough throughout, so I kept placing it back in the oven)

Verdict: 

The Mr. declared this a keeper, and I happen to agree.  I think the guests that had several helpings of this dish would agree, too.