Potato Casserole

Potato Casserole  

• 6 c. diced potatoes
• 1 can (10 3/4 oz.) condensed cream of chicken soup
• 1 stick butter, melted
• 1 c. sour cream
• 2 c. cheddar cheese, grated, divided
• 1/4 c. grated onion (optional)
• Salt and pepper to taste

1. Prepare the potatoes: Scrub six medium russet potatoes and wrap in foil. Bake the potatoes in a 350 degree oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until they are easily pierced with a fork but not too tender. When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, peel and dice them. If you want, you can substitute plain frozen diced (not shredded) potatoes. Let the potatoes thaw before using them in the recipe.
2. Combine soup, butter, sour cream, 1 c. cheese, onion, salt and pepper in a large mixing bowl. Mix well. Add the diced potatoes and stir gently until combined.
3. Place potato mixture in a 2-3 quart casserole dish or 9 x 13-inch baking pan. Top with the remaining 1 c. cheese.
4. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

Note: To make reduced fat potato casserole, replace the melted butter with 1/2 soup can milk. Use reduced fat sour cream, or replace the sour cream with nonfat, plain Greek yogurt. Reduced fat cheddar cheese also works well.
A lot of people put crushed corn flakes on top of the funeral potatoes. My mom doesn't do this, but I've eaten them that way and it does add a nice crunch. If you want to use the corn flake topping, mix 3 tablespoons butter with 3/4 cup crushed corn flakes and sprinkle over the potato mixture before baking. If you're planning to use a crumb topping, mix all the cheese in with the sauce and don't reserve any to sprinkle on top.