Is there such a thing as a non-disgusting hash brown (or similar) casserole?

Question

You know: NOT made with Campbell's Cream of Salt and Oil, or Cheez Whiz, Velveeta, etc. Ideally, not with meat, either, though dairy and egg are fine.

Something made from scratch out of 'real' ingredients.

The allrecipes.com-style "add one can...one box...one bag...bake" recipes look gross, but there're so many recipes out there for "hash brown casserole" that I'm forced to think there's something to it, taste-wise. Mind, if it exists _solely_ as convenience family foodstuff, and is not normally made for the pleasure of eating, please let me know and I'll drop the idea...

And: if adapting a recipe, and wanting to start quite from scratch, should I pre-cook cubed potato to best approximate frozen hash browns? How much, and using what method?

Answer 1

I know you said a casseole, but you could

Combine the hb with ground beef and seasonings & make a meatloaf or burgers

Combine the hb with sauted ground beef and spices and stuff peppers

Make potato pancakes or a potato pie. (Combine hb, scrambled eggs, seasonings, diced onions, green/red peppers, flatten them out in a quiche pan & bake.)


Mexican Taco Hashbrowns

1 pound ground beef
1/2 cup onions, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
8 ounces tomato sauce
1 teaspoon chili powder
3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
1 tablespoon Butter
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
4 1/2 cups frozen shredded hash browns, thawed
4 large tomato slices
1 cup mexican cheese blend, shredded

In a large saucepan, brown ground beef with onions and garlic; pour off drippings. Add tomato sauce, 1/2 teaspoon salt and chili powder; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer uncovered 10 minutes or until most of liquid is absorbed, stirring occasionally.

In a 10" nonstick ovenproof skillet heat oil and butter over medium-high heat until sizzling. Add potatoes, pressing into one layer. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. Cook 5 minutes or until golden brown. Turn with large spatula; continue cooking 4 to 5 minutes or until bottom of potatoes are golden brown, reducing heat if potatoes are browning too quickly.

Spoon meat mixture over potatoes; top with tomatoes and cheese. Broil 3-4" from heat source 2 to 3 minutes or until cheese is melted.
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Hashbrowns may work here, in place of shredded potatoes.

Potato-Apple Kugel

3 Tbs. olive oil
1/4 cup grated onion
2 lb. baking potatoes, peeled and grated
2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and grated
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 tsp. baking powder
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
Sour cream for serving (optional)

Preheat an oven to 375°F. Oil a shallow 9-inch round baking dish or pie dish with 1 tsp. of the olive oil.

In a large bowl, combine the onion, potatoes, apples, eggs and 2 Tbs. of the oil and stir to mix. Sprinkle with the baking powder, season with salt and pepper, and mix thoroughly. Transfer the potato mixture to the prepared baking dish, spreading the mixture evenly. Drizzle with the remaining 2 tsp. oil.

Bake the kugel until the top and sides are golden brown, about 1 hour and 10 minutes. Serve hot or warm with sour cream on the side. Serves 4 to 6. Leslie Revsin, Chef and Cookbook Author, New York City.

Answer 2

Pretty much, unless you make the soups from scratch, you need to use a cream of soup.
You do not have to use the CheezeWiz stuff. You can actually use whatever cheese you want. That is the beauty of adapting recipes. If you don't like American cheese, use Cheddar.

Answer 3

Make home made hash browns.

Use red skins and cooking onions and saute with olive oil, sea salt and fresh black pepper.

Sometimes simple is best.