Celebration Potatoes – Cheesy Potato Casserole

I don’t remember when I first came across this recipe. I only remember that I was taken by it immediately. The ingredients reminded me of a dish from my childhood in Kansas City where a bubbly dish called cheesy potato bake was often served with barbecue or grilled meat.

This casserole dish is a simpler version of that cheesy potato dish from my childhood. Shredded hash brown potatoes allow the dish to come together without any prep of the potatoes, a real time saver. It’s a simple casserole dish filled to the brim with comfort and delicious flavor. Like the dish I knew, this one is delicious served with barbecue, burgers, or something fresh off the grill.

Celebration Potatoes wasn’t the original name of this dish. They’re commonly referred to as Funeral Potatoes, a name that could use a bit of editing, although I do understand how it became associated with funerals. This dish was often brought by friends and neighbors to funeral luncheons because it was so versatile and well liked.

The original name makes sense. This recipe is simple to make, easy to keep ingredients on hand, and full of warm comfort. It’s not hard to imagine that a spoonful of these cheesy potatoes on a plate of food at a funeral luncheon would lift your spirits when you most needed it.

Yet I found myself not wanting to announce to my family that I was making funeral potatoes for dinner. Instead, I have taken to calling this dish Celebration Potatoes. They’re definitely worthy of a celebration be it somber or purely jubilant.

Whatever you choose to call them, these potatoes are delicious. They’re simple to prepare and make a great companion dish to all manner of main courses. The leftovers, while a bit less crispy on top, are equally delicious served warm with a salad the next day.

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Celebration Potatoes – Cheesy Potato Casserole

Jennifer from 1840 Farm

I like to use homemade Velouté Sauce for my casserole dishes, but you can certainly substitute a can of condensed cream of chicken soup if you have one in the pantry. If you choose to make a batch of Velouté Sauce for this recipe, it can be made ahead of time and kept refrigerated for a day or two. You'll find the recipe included below.

While this recipe calls for Cornflake style cereal to serve as the crunchy topping, you can substitute another unsweetened cereal flake, crushed potato chips, or bread crumbs if you prefer.

Author: Jennifer from 1840 Farm

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 medium onion , finely diced
• 1 clove garlic , minced
• 1 recipe Velouté Sauce (or 1 can cream of chicken soup)
• ½ cup sour cream
• ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
• 2 cups grated cheddar cheese
• Salt and pepper
• 20 ounce bag frozen shredded hash brown potatoes
• 2 cups Cornflake style unsweetened cereal , crushed
• 2 tablespoons butter , melted
• 1/4 cup Parmesan , grated
• ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
• Salt and pepper

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Prepare the bottom and sides of a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with a bit of butter, oil, or cooking spray. Remove the hash browns from the freezer to allow them to thaw a bit. This will make it easier to combine them with the other ingredients.
• Heat a skillet over medium heat. Add the olive oil and swirl to coat the bottom of the pan. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until they begin to soften and become translucent, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the garlic and stir while cooking for 1 to 2 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat.
• In a large bowl, combine the Velouté Sauce, the sauteed onions and garlic, sour cream, dried thyme, and approximately ⅔ of the shredded cheese. Stir with a spatula until well combined. Taste and season as needed with salt and pepper. Add the shredded hash brown potatoes and stir to combine.
• Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking pan, spreading to fill the dish evenly. Top with the remaining shredded cheese.
• In a medium bowl, combine the crushed cornflakes and melted butter. Toss gently to coat the cornflakes with the butter. Add the Parmesan cheese, dried thyme, and a bit of salt and pepper. Sprinkle evenly over the casserole dish.
• Transfer to the preheated oven and bake 30-40 minutes until golden brown and bubbling at the edges. If you prefer a deeply browned topping, you can place the dish under the broiler for a few minutes but watch closely as the topping will brown very quickly.
• Remove from the oven and allow the casserole to rest for 10 minutes before serving piping hot.

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Velouté Sauce

Jennifer from 1840 Farm

Velouté is one of the five French mother sauces. It is a roux thickened sauce that is extremely versatile. If you have made a homemade gravy thickened with starch of some sort, you have made your own version of a Velouté. Don't let the fancy French name fool you, it's merely broth thickened with a combination of butter and flour.

A Velouté gravy style sauce is delicious flavored with fresh herbs and plenty of pepper. It can be ladled over mashed potatoes as a gravy, added to casseroles that call for cream of condensed soups, or stirred into dishes that could use a bit of flavor and moisture to enhance their flavor and texture.

When I come across a recipe that calls for a can of cream of chicken soup, I make this Velouté instead. Velouté Sauce can be made ahead of time and kept refrigerated for a day or two before using.

Author: Jennifer from 1840 Farm

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons butter
• 3 tablespoons All-purpose flour (or alternate starch if you prefer)
• 2 cups bone broth or stock (cold or at room temperature)

Instructions

• Melt the butter over medium heat in a saucepan. Once the butter has melted, add the flour (or alternate starch) and whisk or stir with a wooden spoon. Continue to stir as the flour and butter combine. Cook, moving the mixture constantly until it swells slightly and takes on a golden color. Do not cook the roux long enough to brown.
• Add the cold liquid in one addition to the saucepan and stir or whisk briskly to distribute the roux into the liquid. Continue to stir until the liquid comes to gentle boil. The mixture will thicken once it gently boils for a few minutes.
• Remove the saucepan from the heat. Taste for seasoning, adding herbs, salt, pepper, or a dash of hot sauce as needed.

Notes

How can you fix a roux thickened sauce that is too thick or not thick enough?

If your sauce ends up thickening too much for your liking, simply add in a tablespoon or two of additional liquid, stirring until it is smooth and exactly the texture you were aiming for. Repeat if necessary.

If your sauce doesn’t thicken as much as you want, it can be fixed by adding a bit more roux mixture. Rather than start in a clean pan and create a new roux, I like to use a microwave shortcut. In a small bowl, melt 1 tablespoon of butter. Stir in 1 tablespoon of flour (or the starch you used for your original roux) and microwave for 20 seconds. The mixture should bubble up and rise quite dramatically. Remove it from the microwave and stir a bit to break up any small lumps. Add this roux mixture to your sauce and stir to disperse it into the sauce. Bring the sauce to a gentle boil and your sauce will thicken a bit more thanks to the addition of more roux. Repeat if needed.

You can learn more about creating a roux and using it in your recipes including the science behind how it works by reading Technique: How to Make a Roux and Put it to Use.

Tried this recipe?Mention @1840Farm or tag #1840FarmFood! We can’t wait to see what you make!