Hashbrown Potatoes (aka Funeral Potatoes)

When we lived in Myrtle Beach, my good friend, Tanya, would bring these to our MOMS Club potlucks. She always doubled the recipe, as she said one pan was never enough for a crowd. She was surprised I'd never had them or heard of them, as they were considered a southern potluck staple. They were considered a knock-off recipe of a dish served at Cracker Barrel, a popular chain of restaurants found at every interstate turn off in the south.

Not being from the south, it really didn't surprise me that I didn't know about them. We were being introduced to all sorts of new foods (Chicken bog, gravy, boiled peanuts, gravy, chitlins, gravy, grits, oh...and did I mention gravy??).

Anyway, ever since SC, we've been making them for potlucks and BBQs. While I didn't know about them growing up in Arizona, I learned that they are known in the western states. My friend, Dave (who grew up in Utah in the LDS church), calls them Funeral Potatoes because all the Mormon ladies make them for potlucks at funerals. I've learned that this is a pretty common name/practice. So maybe they were around in Arizona. I just had to travel across the country to discover them.

If you search for "hasbrown potatoes" on Google, you're sure to find hundreds of entries. That's just how popular they are. Who knew?? There are just as many variations. Even Emeril has his own version! Of course his doesn't call for frozen hashbrowns...he actually uses real potatoes. His recipe looks darn good, and someday I'll try it.

For now though, I'll stick with the recipe my friend, Tanya, gave me. I call it a "dump and bake" because all you do is dump ingredients into a pan, and bake them. Couldn't be any easier, could it? If you buy pre-shredded cheese it really is a true dump and bake, but I always buy it in blocks and shred it myself (take just a minute in the food processor).

Hashbrown Potatoes

Get out a 9" x 13" baking dish and dump in the following, and mix well:
3 C shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 can (reglular size) cream of chicken soup (I use Healthy Request)
8 oz sour cream (I use fat free)
salt & pepper to taste

Add & mix well:
2 pounds frozen hasbrowns (can be cubed or shredded)

Bake at 350 degrees for about 50 minutes. If the middle is still frozen, stir it a bit, and put it back in until heated through.

When there are about 15 minutes left of baking, sprinkle the dish with:
2 C crushed cornflakes

Tanya's original recipe called for additional melted butter that you pour on before adding the cornflakes. I found that wasn't necessary at all, so I skip that step.

This is a great recipe to make if you have a bunch of leftover ham (like from Easter!) around. Just cube it up, and toss it in.