Cheesy Potatoes-An Ever Ready Special

Widely associated with funerals, cheesy potatoes aka funeral potatoes are a potato-based dish in casserole form—the ultimate comfort food—usually served hot at potlucks. It's a widespread tradition to serve them at gatherings held after funerals, hence the name.

BUT 

Conventional wisdom holds that nobody really knows who created this dish. The Relief Society of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is given credit for serving funeral potatoes at luncheons, and the dish turned into a phenomenon.
Despite the fact that the Mormons have a pretty strong claim to funeral potatoes, you will find versions of the dish in just about every region of the country. Of course, they’re not always called Funeral Potatoes (see hash brown casserole, cheesy hash browns, cheesy potatoes, party potatoes). Take Cracker Barrel’s Hash Brown Casserole, for example, it's pretty much a version of funeral potatoes without the potato chips.

Cheesy Potatoes with Cornflake Topping

An Ever-Ready Special

Cook's Notes: I am not a fan of canned creamed soups (high in sodium and other preservatives) but it's one of the traditional ingredients in this casserole so I set out to create my own recipe based on several other recipes. The recipe makes a full 9 x 13 pan and lucky we had company to help us out. It was the perfect side dish for a grilled salmon meal. I used potatoes O'Brien for more texture but could use hash browns.   

Casserole Ingredients:

• 3/4 bag of frozen Potatoes O'Brien (32 oz.) thawed 
• 3 tablespoons of butter
• 1 cup sweet onions, diced
• 1 cup red pepper, diced
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1 cup 2% milk
• 1-1/2 cups chicken broth, low sodium  
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon each of parsley flakes, thyme, and Elote seasoning 
• 2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, grated
• 1/2 cup sour cream 

Topping Ingredients: 

• 3 cups crushed cornflakes
• 2 tablespoons melted butter

 Casserole Directions:

• One hour before making the dish, thaw out 3/4 of the bag of potatoes on a cookie sheet.
• Lightly grease a 13 x 9 pan or 2-1/2 quart-sized pan and preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
• In a large fry pan with high sides saute onions and peppers in butter for about 4 minutes until softened.
• Whisk in flour and blend, then whisk in milk and broth. 
• Add in spices and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer until thickened adding in cheese until melted.
• Stir in thawed potatoes, fold in sour cream, and place in a baking pan.

 Topping Directions:

• Crush cornflakes in a small baggie and then mix with melted butter. 
• Sprinkle topping evenly over the casserole and bake for 30-35 minutes until bubbling around the edges. 
  

This potato dish was served with grilled salmon, corn, and ice cream served in a waffle (edible) bowl. I did cheat a bit on the sauce for the salmon. I brushed on Kung Pao sauce over the salmon to give it more of an Asian flair when grilling. The sauce also works well with chicken.