Amazing Morphing Potato Casserole Thingus (Recipe)

[mightyjesse]

There are a zillion different variations on this recipe so I'm going to break up the ingredients into 3 groups:
Main, wet, and topping.



Main: These ingredients almost always stay the same for me...

• 1 lb of frozen potato product. (smashed up Tater-tots are nice, hash browns work, and potatoes O'Brien are fabulous.)
  
• 1 medium onion (diced)
  
• 1 1/2 shredded cheddar cheese
  
• 1/2 t black pepper (I like pepper... A lot. Also, I suspect my pepper may be Weak. You may want less.)
  
• salt as needed.... This amount changes based on the wet ingredients you choose and whether or not you went with the "add ham" option, so you'll want to taste test...
  
• Sometimes if I'm feeling anemic or just "wild" I will add 1 c ham chunks. Or maybe some frozen mixed veggies. This is not necessary, but sometimes there's just stuff in the fridge that needs to be used up, you know?

Wet: This is where we start changing things up based on what we have in the cupboard today...

• 1/2 c chicken broth
  
• 1 c milk

OR

• 1 can cream of chicken or cream of mushroom soup
  
• 10 oz carton sour cream

OR (This developed for my vegetarian sister - thank goodness she's not a vegan... Uh... Remember to skip the HAM option if you're using this recipe for vegetarian purpose. This comment may seem stupid until you've had to make 2 casseroles in 1 day because your stomach said "yes" even though your brain said "no.")

• 1 c milk
  
• 1 beaten egg

Toppings: Everyone has their favorites when it comes to the crunchy stuff that goes on top of a casserole...

• 1/2 c cheddar cheese
  
• 1 can french fried onion rings

OR (AKA. "Cheapskate didn't shell out for the onion rings.")

• 1/2 c cheddar cheese
  
• 1 piece of bread worth of croutons or bread crumbs. I usually make my own by throwing a piece of bread in the food processor with some onion powder, thyme (or oregano, or basil... whatever seems like a good idea...), pepper and salt.

In a big bowl, mix together your Main ingredients. Pick a set of Wet ingredients and dump them in there too. (This is also a great time to throw in extra herbs if you're into that kinda thing. I like rosemary or thyme.) Mix them around until they're mostly homogeneous. Dump all that into a 9x9" casserole dish and level, then sprinkle a set of Topping ingredients over the top (cheese first. Then crunchy bits.) Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees and cover casserole with foil. Bake for 30 minutes with foil on and 30 more with foil off.

If I'm in a hurry, I microwave the casserole for 15-20 minutes on high (long enough to cook the potatoes) and then throw it in the oven at 350 (long enough to brown the crunchy bits) for 20 minutes without foil.... But honestly leaving it in the oven for an hour tastes best.

Yay, casserole!