Almost every recipe card from my grammy’s era has “potatoe” and not potato. I can’t stop thinking of a potato with toes when I see it and wonder if it was the spelling of the era or a perpetual mistake adopted as correct. Regardless, this casserole side dish is decadent nostalgia and a welcomed addition to any holiday table.
When I started the project of digitally chronicling family recipes, I was overcome with unexpected joy. Each carefully written, sometimes water or food-stained, card in my grammy’s handwriting brought me back to early childhood joys spent with my grammy. Even though she has been gone for more than twenty years, I still recognize her sophisticated cursive writing instantly. The vast majority of prep stored in her brain, the sparsely written instructions often lead to a few trial and errors before arriving at the right balance in the recipe. Double this dish (and use 2 pans) for a fantastic pot-luck side. It keeps warm for at least an hour as the potatoes are a great veg for holding heat.
Ingredients for the potato casserole:
- 2 lbs frozen hash browns
- 1 can cream of mushroom soup
- 1 large onion, diced
- 16 oz sour cream
- 1-2 c grated cheddar cheese
- 1 can Pringles, crushed into small pieces (regular or sour cream and onion are perfect for this, but you can go wild withyour favorite pringle style)
- 1/2 c (one stick) butter, melted
- Salt, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder to taste
How to make potato casserole:
- In a large (9×13) baking dish, layer half of the hash browns, season as desired.
- Stir together the cream of mushroom soup, chopped onions and sour cream and pour half over the first layer of hashbrowns.
- Layer the remaining hash browns, season and cover with remaining cream mixture.
- Top with shredded cheese and bake at 350 F for 30 minutes.
- After 30 minutes, add the crushed pringles and drizzle melted butter on top, continue baking for ~45 mins to 1 hour until bubbling and pringles have crisped.
Whiskey and Ginger 