Recipe: Hashbrown Casserole

I have nearly perfected Cracker Barrel’s Hashbrown Casserole. I hope everyone enjoys this dish as much as we do!

Ingredients:

• 2 lb. bag of frozen shredded hashbrowns


• 10.75 oz. can condensed Cream of Chicken soup


• 8-12 oz. extra sharp Cheddar cheese- grated


• ½ cup butter


• 1 small onion


• 1 tsp. salt


• ½ tsp. black pepper


• 1 lb. Chicken (optional)

First thing you need to do is thaw and dry out those hashbrowns. The frozen hashbrowns develop a tremendous amount of water in the form of ice. If you don’t remove this water your hashbrown casserole will be hashbrown stew.

- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

- Place your frozen hashbrowns on a greased or non-stick cookie sheet and thaw in oven for 20-30 minutes while the oven is pre-heating. It’s O.K. if the top ones get a little dried out, you’ll rehydrate them in a few steps.

- Remove the hashbrowns from the oven and set aside until cool.

- Coarsely chop the onion and pan sauté over high heat.

- Set the onions aside and let them cool slightly.

- Put butter in 9x13 pan and place in oven until butter has melted.

- Once the butter has melted, combine soup, butter, cheese, onions, salt, and pepper in large bowl.

- Gently fold in the hashbrowns until just mixed.

- Rub any remaining butter around the sides of the pan to prevent sticking.

- “Pour” the mix into the 9x13 pan and spread evenly.

- Bake for 35-40 minutes. I usually broil mine for the last couple of minutes to give the top a nice brown “crust”.

- To make this a meal I like to add a pound of chicken. Grill or pan brown the chicken and then pull into small bite size pieces. Add the pieces to the mix at the same time you add the hashbrowns.

If you’re lucky enough to have a large cast iron baking pan, the cast iron really gives this dish a nice crispy bottom. You can also divide up the mixture and pour into two 10” cast iron skillets.

Happy Eating,

Sparky