Crispy cheesy hash brown casserole

By dette

I spend a lot ot tome on the Delaware shore during the summer months. There's a restaurant there that serves a side dish of hash brown with cheese. Although I always order it, I was inspired to go home and put my own spin on it. And that psin is- you guessed it-agenerous amount of bacon and extra cheese. Serve this savory side at breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

Ingredients

• vegetable oil spray
• 1 30 oz package frozen hash brown potatoes, thawed
• 1 10.75 oz can cream of celery soup
• 1 10.75oz can cream of chicken soup
• 1 c. (8oz) sour cream
• 6 bacon slices, cooked and crumbled
• 10 T. unsalted butter, melted
• 1 c. (6oz) plus 1 c. (6 oz) shredded extra sharp Cheddar
• 1/2 c. minced scallions (white and light green parts)
• 1/2 t. kosher salt
• 1/2 t. freshly ground black pepper
• 3/4 c. fresh bread crumbs.

Preparation

Step 1

Prehet the oven to 350. Spray a 2-21/2 qt. baking dish with the vegetable oil spray.
combine the potatoes, cream of celery soup, crem of chicken soup, sour cream, bacon, 1/2 c. of the melted butter, 1 1/2 c. of the Cheddar, the scallions, salt and pepper in a large bowl and mix well. Spread the potatoe mixture in the prepared baking dish.
Combine the bread crumbs with the remainin 2 T. melted butter in a small bowl. Sprinkle the remaining 2 c. Cheddar over the surface o the potatoes, then top with the bread crumb mixture. Bake the casserole for 25-35 minutes, until hot and lightly browned.