Cheesy Oven Baked Shredded Potatoes
Ingredients
For the potatoes:
- 5 russet potatoes, peeled and shredded, rinsed
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 quarts water
For the milk mixture:
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 can cream of mushroom
- 1 1/4 cups milk
- 1 can cream of chicken
- 1/2 cup shredded cheese, bacon cheddar flavor
- 2 stalks celery, diced
For the onion mixture:
- 1 cup onions, frozen, diced
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning
- 1 tablespoon seasoned salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Add to sauted onion mixture:
- 1 1/2 cups cooked ham, diced
Add to ham mixture:
- 5 cups potatoes, shredded
Mix in Baking dish:
- 1 stick butter
- potatoes, mixture
- 2 cups cheese
- milk, mixture
It was one of those cold, foggy days... The kind that makes you crave comfort food. Well, the refrigerator had a bag of sliced ham. There was some chopped onion and bacon cheddar cheese in the freezer (a partial bag and another unopened)
I had just bought some russet potatoes and I had a request from my hubby for cheesy hash brown casserole.
I got out a stick of butter. There was a partial stick as well, so that went into the large frying pan on medium heat. The bigger stick got unwrapped and cut into tablespoons.
I got out the salad shooter and put the grater blade in. Peeled the potatoes, then cut them in half the long way because they were too wide for the salad shooter chute.
I got a large bowl ready with some salted water. My potato shreds went into the water. The last time I didn't and my potatoes turned an odd color. Pink or purple I think. The salted water got rid of the extra starchiness as well. It cooks down as you bake it so it doesn't need extra help thickening up.
The butter was melting in the frying pan, and I placed the mixture of onions, celery, poultry seasoning, garlic, black pepper and seasoned salt in the pan and let it saute while I shredded the potatoes.
While the ham mixture is bonding, mix the cream soups, the milk, the heavy whipping cream and some of the shredded cheese together. I put a few pats if butter in the bottom and poured enough milk mixture in the dish to make it about an inch deep. The actual amount doesn't matter. It's just so your potatoes are not sitting bare on the bottom.
Cream sauce mixed, I was now ready to mix my potatoes into the ham mixture. my frying pan is big enough to hold the shredded potatoes, so I put them in the pan with the ham mixture.
They don't stay in there very long, just in there to stir together, mostly.
Drain Water from Shredded Potatoes and Rinse
Mixing Cream Soups with Milk and Heavy Whipping Cream
Now, the baking dish gets filled.
A little butter in the bottom. A little milk, the potatoes mixture, some more butter, some cheese, then the milk mixture.
I used a steak knife to move the potatoes sideways to settle out the milk. Everything is already stirred together, so it's just a matter of getting rid of air pockets
Time to put on a pan and place in oven. My oven is at 350. The potatoes are uncovered.
I plan to eat this at 6 pm, and it's 3 pm now. I also plan to let it bake for almost the entire amount of time. It can only get more tasty.
I guarantee it!
Layers in Baking Dish
After three hours, the potatoes were tender, had retained their shape. The cheese, milk, ham, butter and everything else had merged.
My hubby was a little worried when I put it in the oven, that we eating it for weeks.
Nope. We only had a partial bowl left. That went into the refrigerator in a microwavable bowl for a future date I'm sure he will volunteer to clean it up... (Smile)
These Were My Orders (smile)
