Hash Brown Casserole

This recipe is a lot like Cracker Barrel's famous hashbrown casserole (but I think it's even better). It's great for a special breakfast with friends or family -- it serves many, but stores well in the refrigerator for a few days and is good leftover.

Ingredients:

- 2 lb frozen hashbrowns, thawed
- 4-5 tablespoons butter, melted
- 1 can cream of chicken soup (or cream of cauliflower was good)
- 1 c sour cream (reduced from 2 c previously)
- 1/2 cup chopped onion (or minced dried onion)
- 2 cloves minced garlic or 1/2 t dried garlic powder
- 2 cups grated Cheddar cheese
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
-optional: add ham, salami, or other meat but reduce salt if it's salty. Could try adding corn or green beans for another vegetable?

- 2 cups crushed cornflakes
- 1/4 cup melted butter (try 2 T first?)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine butter, soup, sour cream, onion, garlic, cheese, salt, and pepper (and meat/veggies?). Mix together with hashbrowns. Place in a 3-quart casserole dish.

Saute cornflakes in butter and sprinkle on top of hashbrown mixture. [You can skip saute-ing the cornflakes, but they'll have less flavor and crunch. It's also a good idea to not cover entirely with cornflakes if you're planning to have leftovers, as they get soggy leftover.]

Cover and bake for about 40 minutes.