When you just don’t wanna fry potato latkes, and even if you do, this is a nice hearty and delicious dish that you can serve for breakfast, lunch or dinner.

Hash browns are simply shredded potatoes. You are “sauteing” the hash browns, onion and peppers right in the baking pan in the oven in butter and oil before adding the rest of the ingredients, saving you from needing to cook on the stovetop. A word of warning, it will get a bit crispy but if you want the bottom more crispy you will need to add a lot more butter/oil which I choose not to do.

You need a food processor or a grater to shred the potatoes but I use a food processor to chop the onion and peppers and then switch to a shredder blade for the potatoes. This makes it a snap. It takes about an hour and ten minutes (including sauteing time (more or less) to bake, so take that into account, but you end up with a beautifully cheesy casserole that you can dive into.

Start with 5-6 medium potatoes and peel them. I’m just showing you the combo of bigger and smaller potatoes so you can eyeball the amount. They don’t always come in same sizes, after all 🙂 .

Set aside. Peel and quarter a large onion and wash and cut a red pepper in quarters and remove the seeds.

Take out your food processor and roughly chop the onion and the red pepper.

Leaving the onion and pepper in the bowl of the processor, switch out the “S” blade (chopping blade) with the shredding blade. Shred the potatoes right into the onions and peppers.

Take your 9 x 13 pan and put in the butter and oil and put into a preheated 350 F degree oven to melt the butter and heat the pan about 3-5 minutes (check so it doesn’t burn) remove pan from oven and immediately (and carefully) pour the onion, pepper and potatoes into the pan, tossing to coat with oil and butter. Place back in oven for 20 minutes.

In the meantime, whisk together the eggs, milk, salt, pepper and Bacos (vegetarian “bacon” bits) which add a nice smokey flavor.

After the 20 minutes are up, remove the potato mixture from the oven – it won’t be fully cooked, rather cooked enough so that the total baking time will have everything properly done. Sprinkle with half the cheese and then pour the mixed eggs and milk mixture oven the potatoes and cheese.

Cover with aluminium foil and put back in the oven to bake for another forty minutes. Then remove from oven, take off the foil and sprinkle with the other cup of cheese and return to oven to finish baking for another 10 minutes till bubbly and cheese is melted.

Serve hot cut into generous squares.

Hash Browns Egg N Cheese Casserole

5-6 medium potatoes, peeled
1 large onion, peeled and quartered
1 red pepper, washed and seeded and quartered
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons oil
8 eggs
1/2 cup milk
2 cups shredded cheese- mozzarella or cheddar or other good melting cheese, divided
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup “Bacos” vegetarian chips (or other vegetarian type chip)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Take a 9 x 13 pan and put in 2 tablespoons butter and 2 tablespoons oil. When the oven reaches 350° put the pan into the oven with the oil and butter and let it melt and get hot which will take about 3 to 5 minutes.
In the meantime,take the onion and pepper and put into the food processor with an “S” blade and chop roughly. Then remove the S blade and replace it with the shredding blade and shred the potatoes right into the rest of the onion and pepper. Take the onion, pepper and potato mixture and put into the pan with the melted butter and oil and mix till completely coated and spread evenly on the bottom of the pan. Then put in the oven for 20 minutes. While this is cooking, put the eggs and milk together in a bowl and whisk, add the salt and the pepper and the bacos and whisk together. Measure out 2 cups of grated cheese and keep it on the side. When the 20 minutes are up remove the pan and sprinkle 1 cup of cheese over the potato mix and then pour the egg mixture over the whole thing. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and put back into the oven to bake for an additional 40 minutes. Uncover the casserole and sprinkle the other cup of cheese over that. Bake ten more minutes till bubbling and cheese is nicely melted. Serve hot.