Hash Brown Casserole

One of my favorite dishes is hash brown casserole. Most people think of hash brown casserole as one of Cracker Barrel’s claims to fame. But luck was on my side, and before the building of the restaurant in both Evansville and Henderson, I was a hash brown casserole DIY’er.

I first discovered hash brown casserole at a Cracker Barrel in Nashville, Tennessee, as my family was passing through to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Up until several years ago, Evansville did not even have a Cracker Barrel locally or even within a reasonable driving distance. So stopping there was a southern treat, something that happened only on special occasions like vacations or visiting friends in Tennessee. It was during a trip down south that I had my first helping of hash brown casserole, and I was hooked!

One of my best friends, Janet, had moved to Knoxville, Tennessee, during our junior year of high school. We kept in touch with occasional letters and cards (this was before email became commonplace). One day I received an envelope in the mail from her, and to my delight, when I opened it, inside she had sent me a recipe card for hash brown casserole. Not just any recipe; she said this was in her Sunday Tennessee newspaper as the honest to goodness hash brown casserole recipe used by Cracker Barrel restaurants!

Obviously, I had to try that recipe over and over. While it is not hard to make, it does take a little time and there are certain ingredients to have on hand. It is simply not something I make frequently. Gradually over time, it has become a tradition at my house to fix a big breakfast on both Christmas morning and on New Year’s Day morning featuring a highlight of none other than hash brown casserole!