Food nostalgia: Cheesy Hashbrowns

I really started to cook when I lived in California. The abundance of fresh, local produce available year-round and my meager AmeriCorps salary meant that it made the most sense to learn how to cook with unfamiliar, inexpensive ingredients and hope for the best. Plus, good food permeates the city, from the late-night street meat in the Mission to foodie meccas like Chez Panisse and Coi. It was hard not to get swept away by the foodie-ness. Because I came to cooking-age out West, my weekly meal planning leans towards more simple, produce-centric dishes. Sure, I keep my pantry stocked with some tomato puree, veggie bullion, and generic bread crumbs, but other than that I don't often used canned or pre-packaged ingredients. But, something about this time of year brings out my inner wannabe-1950's Midwest housewife who just wants to make casseroles and hotdishes and all sorts of hearty, cheesy goodies that use exotic ingredients like cream of mushroom soup. The idea of Semi-Homemade Cooking usually weirds me out, but the thought of a tater tot hotdish (a favorite in my household growing up) or a tuna casserole...boy oh boy does that brings me back to very cold Minnesota evenings, fighting with my brothers and making ice traps in our annual snow fort. Ahh, the good old days.

My absolute favorite hotdish is the cheesy hashbrown casserole that is a staple of our Christmas morning brunch. My aunt makes two massive pans of it to feed the ever-growing Irish Catholic crew. I tell ya, there are few things in the world I love more than cheese and potatoes. I had attempted this dish a few times in college, but much to my chagrin, it was never the same. I tried it with home-shredded potatoes and creamy bechamels and a variety of different cheeses, and nothing! So, I gave up and decided that my cheesy hashbrowns would just have to wait for Christmas morning. I stopped believing in Santa when I was 6 or so, but I still wake up with the giddiness of a child on Christmas morning, anxious for the annual spread of hashbrowns, oatmeal-molasses bread (which we cousins sneakily eat throughout the day like a high schooler with a flask), and 24 hours of A Christmas Carol.

All of this reminiscing about food and Christmas and family is probably unnecessary, but now maybe you can imagine my excitement to have those very same cheesy potatoes show up at Fakesgiving, a vegetarian Thanksgiving celebration hosted by a friend of mine. I asked the chef how he made those delectable taters, and he told me all you need are some frozen hashbrowns, canned soup, sour cream, and some cheese. Seriously? All I have to do is go buy some prepacked products, chop up an onion, and stir? That's all? No scrubbing or peeling, no dicing, no making a sauce? Sandra Lee, you might just be onto something.

Traditionally (at least during my childhood), cheesy hashbrowns are made with a bright orange sharp cheddar, but I only had white cheddar on hand for this batch. Sometime this winter (as I'm sure I'll be making this every week or so) I'm going to try this with some gruyere or a mix of cheeses, for a little extra pizazz. Also, to make me feel just slightly better about eating at least two daily servings of what is essentially carbs wrapped in cheese, I added in some frozen chopped broccoli. Lastly, you can make this with cream of chicken soup, but the cream of celery adds a nice touch of flavor that brings out the sour cream and cheese.

Cheesy Hashbrowns

1 large (1 1/2 to 2 pounds) bag frozen hashbrowns, thawed
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cups sour cream (I've used light and haven't had any problems)
1 can of cream of celery soup
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, plus extra for the top
2 boxes frozen chopped broccoli

Bread crumbs (panko will work too, or, according to my research, crushed Ritz crackers or cornflakes)
Cooking oil spray

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, mix all the ingredients except for the bread crumbs and extra cheese. Pour into a large greased baking pan.

2) Sprinkle the rest of the cheese on top, and then a sprinkle it again lightly with bread crumbs. Spray the top with cooking oil until well coated - this will help it brown and not to burn.

3) Bake until top is browned and potatoes are soft, about 45 minutes.

4) Eat, and reminisce about your favorite childhood foods...

...Happy Winter!