Baked Potato Casserole Topped with Crispy Onion Rings

By annekeeney

Ingredients

• 1 T. unsalted butter, softened
• 4 russet potatoes, scrubbed
• 2 T. olive oil
• 10 slices bacon
• 2 c. half and half
• 1 T. chopped fresh oregano or 1 t. dried oregano
• 2 t. salt
• 1 t. freshly ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 c. grated cheddar cheese
• 2 c. crispy onion rings (see recipe)

Details

Servings 8

Preparation

Step 1

1- Preheat oven to 400
2- Butter a 13x9x2 baking dish and set aside. Rub the potatoes with the olive oil to coat lightly and bake 55 minutes to 1 hour or until tender when pierced with a knife. Remove from the oven and set aside until cool enough to handle Chop the potatoes in 1" cubes and set aside.

3- Lower the oven temperature to 350

4- Lay the bacon in a single layer on a baking pan and bake in the oven until crisp. Remove from the oven and place on a paper towel to drain, the crumble coarsely.

5- Layer the ingredients in the prepared dish as follows: place half the potatoes in the bottom of the baking dish; top with half of the bacon. Pour 1 c. of the half and half, the oregano, half the salt, half the pepper, and half the cheese over the potatoes. Repeat the process, ending with the cheese, and top with onion rings.

6- Bake 25-30 minutes or until the potato mixture is hot and bubbling around the edges of the of the dish. Cover if the onion rings begin to brown too quickly.