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Funeral Potatoes are so easy, cheesy, and pretty much perfect in every way! Serve this cheesy potato casserole on Thanksgiving, Christmas dinner, or any other time you’re craving it. If you do happen to make this potato side dish on a hectic holiday, you’ll love how maintenance it is compared to all of your other recipes!
Funeral Potatoes
I’m sure you’re wondering… Why is this popular dish titled something a little odd? It’s actually exactly what you’d think. This cheesy baked potato casserole recipe first gained popularity by being served at post-funeral gatherings because it can feed a large crowd. Thus, the name Funeral Potatoes was born!
There are plenty of potato-based recipes you can choose from when selecting what to whip up on holidays. If you’ve never made cheesy Funeral Potatoes before, I definitely encourage you to try them for your family gatherings and special occasions! Cheesy, creamy hash brown potatoes are baked to perfection under a layer of salty, crunchy potato chips. Every bite is seriously addictive.
The best part? This classic side dish is SO easy to make! On crazy busy holidays when you’ve got about a million other things to focus on, relieve some stress by making a simple, trusty side dish like Funeral Potatoes. We love to serve them alongside Crock Pot Ham with Pineapple Brown Sugar Glaze, Easy Beef Tenderloin Roast and Roast Turkey.
The ingredients are inexpensive, the steps are easy to follow, and you can always trust that it’ll be the most beloved side dish on the spread! Even your pickiest eater will go back for seconds. I mean, who doesn’t love cheesy potatoes with chips on top?! They’re the perfect party potatoes.
Ingredients
- Potatoes – I use frozen, shredded hash brown potatoes but this will work with shredded potatoes, as well. Just be sure to roll up in a clean towel and squeeze out some of the water so the potatoes are as dry as possible.
- Butter – Melted butter is the base of the roux, you can use salted butter or unsalted butter.
- Cornstarch – To keep the casserole gluten free, I use cornstarch for the thickening agent. You can substitute with flour if that’s what you have on hand.
- Milk – Whole milk adds richness to the sauce but it can be substituted with low-fat milk or half and half.
- Chicken Stock – The base of the creamy sauce is chicken stock but you can substitute with chicken broth or keep it vegetarian with vegetable broth.
- Seasoning – Ground Nutmeg, onion powder, garlic powder, kosher salt and black pepper add flavor with the minces garlic cloves.
- Onion – I like to use a sweet onion and be sure it’s grated so you don’t have big chunks of onion in your casserole.
- Cheese – Freshly grated cheddar cheese makes this the cheesiest casserole. You can substitute with white cheddar cheese, asiago or a blend of cheeses.
- Potato Chips – For the crunchy topping, I like to use potato chips instead of the crunchy cornflake topping I’ve used in the past. Cheddar Horseradish potato chips are my favorite but you can experiment with your favorite flavors.
For the full ingredient list and instructions, see the recipe card below.
How to Make Funeral Potatoes
This classic recipe is seriously easy and the ultimate comfort food.
- Make the butter mixture. Melt the butter and cornstarch over medium heat in a saucepan. Whisk in the milk and cook until slightly thickened. Stir in the chicken stock, nutmeg, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and cook until thickened, then set aside.
- Cook the onions and garlic. Cook the onions and garlic in some olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat for about 1 minute. Set aside.
- Make the potato mixture. Combine the thawed hash browns, sauce, onion mixture, shredded cheese, and sour cream in a large bowl. Stir and set aside.
- Assemble. Pour the potato mixture into your baking dish. After the potato chips and butter have been combined, sprinkle the mixture evenly over the shredded hash browns and cover with aluminum foil.
- Bake. Bake the casserole for 20 minutes covered. Uncover and bake for another 20 minutes until the topping is golden brown. (Total bake time is 40-50 minutes.)
- Rest, then serve. Let the hot casserole rest for about 10 minutes, then serve and enjoy! This delicious casserole can be served hot or at room temperature.
To make in advance, assemble the casserole but do not top with the potato chip mixture. Cover the assembled casserole with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. Uncover and top with the potato chip or buttery corn flakes and bake as directed.
How to Store Leftovers
In an airtight container, Funeral Potatoes will stay fresh for about 3-4 days. While they do make great leftovers, I recommend serving and eating them the day they’re made! That’s when those chips on top are the crunchiest.
Which Chips for the Best Topping
If you can find them, I really like the bold flavor that horseradish cheese potato chips lend the top of this dish. However, really any chips you choose will work well! You can always opt for plain potato chips or cornflakes that will still lend a good salty crunch.
Funeral Potatoes vs Scalloped potatoes
While they’re both creamy and cheesy, these two dishes are different. In my Funeral Potatoes recipe, I like to use hash browns instead of thinly sliced (or scalloped) potatoes. Plus, most scalloped potatoes I’ve seen don’t call for potato chips!
More Easy Holiday Side Dish Ideas
- The Best Potatoes Au Gratin
- Parker House Rolls
- Sweet Potato Souffle
- Sausage Stuffing with Chestnuts
- Hashbrown Casserole
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Funeral Potatoes Recipe
Equipment
- 1 baking dish
Ingredients
- 2 pounds frozen shredded hash brown potatoes
- 4 tablespoon salted butter
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
- 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 Vidalia onion, grated
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 cups grated sharp cheddar
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1 1/2 cups crushed Horseradish Cheddar Potato Chips, or your favorite Kettle chips
- 3 tablespoon salted butter, melted
Instructions
- Preheat over to 350˚F.
- In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat and whisk in the cornstarch until golden.
- Whisk in the milk and continue to cook until slightly thickened. Add the chicken stock, nutmeg, garlic powder, salt and pepper.
- Bring to a boil, continuing to stir and cook until thickened.
- Remove from the heat and set aside.
- In a small pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic cooking for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and set aside.
- In a large bowl, add the hash browns, sauce, onion mixture, cheese and sour cream. Stir to combine.
- Pour the mixture into a 13×9 inch baking dish coated with cooking spray and spread in an even layer.
- In a small bowl, mix together the potato chips and melted butter stirring to combine.
- Sprinkle the mixture evenly over the potatoes and cover with foil.
- Bake the casserole for 20 minutes, covered and then remove the foil.
- Continue to bake uncovered for an additional 20 minutes or until bubbly and golden brown.
- Allow the casserole to rest for 5-10 minutes before serving.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
It sounds delicious. Can’t wait to try it.
I hope you love them as much as we do!