We are revamping the classic cheesy potato recipe and making it into a rich, main course instead of a side dish this week with Lindy, Land & Livestock’s Berkshire pork.
I decided to doctor this recipe up with our nitrate free (uncured) bacon and Italian sausage. I also added some fresh sweet peppers, onions, mushrooms, a jalapeno, and crushed red pepper to add a little bit of color to the dish. I think I’m going to rename the recipe to the “Deluxe Everything You Like in Your Cheesy Potatoes Recipe”
Here is the classic cheesy potatoes recipe everyone’s mom has in her recipe box:
2 pounds hash browns, frozen
4 tbsp. butter (originally 8, swapped half for lard)
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
1 can cream of mushroom soup
2 cups grated cheddar cheese
1 onion, chopped
1 cup sour cream
2 cups corn flakes
Add-on’s
1 lb. L3co Italian Sausage
½ lb. L3co Nitrate Free Bacon
4 tbsp L3co Lard (rendered)
1 Small white onion
5 small mushrooms
4-5 Sweet Peppers (yellow, red, and/or orange)
1 Jalapeno, seeds and stem removed
Cook bacon in pan and set aside (I typically make the whole pound as the rest of the family usually takes it down to a half pound before it makes it into the dish)
Brown one pound of Italian sausage with 1 teaspoon of crushed red pepper, remove from pan and set aside
Sauté all vegetables in pan with oils and bits left from browning the sausage and cooking the bacon
In a bowl, mix all the ingredients together, with exception to the corn flakes and butter
Mix all ingredients less corn flakes and 4 tablespoons butter. Pour into 9×13 pan with melted lard. Top with 2 cups corn flakes – pour melted butter over top. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.
I love to use my cast iron cookware all the cooking for this recipe is in a 12” diameter cast iron skillet. After everything has been mixed, I put a generous layer of rendered lard in the bottom of the skillet instead of butter to make the hashbrown mixture crispy and tasty. This recipe is meant to be simple and quick. We have even done all the prep work in advance and placed in the refrigerator for a quick meal during the week. An added bonus is if you have any left overs they are great for breakfast in the morning heated up with a fried egg and a toasted bagel…..delicious.
Happy Cooking!
Jamie at the L3co