Creamy Holiday Potatoes

Our side dish tonight was this modified potato dish I found on thisweekfordinner.com. As I was pouring the heavy cream over the hash browns, I thought it looked sorta sad and plain, so I sprinkled black pepper, garlic powder, and topped it off with a mix of cheddar and mexican-blend cheese (I ran out of the cheddar and needed more cheese). When it came time to serving this, I sprinkled on some Tony's (the perfect cajun seasoning mix) and it really did the trick in flavoring this up. The recipe is pretty darn vague on how to cook it - I baked it at 350˚ for about 45 minutes or so and it turned out perfectly. Now, as for the flavor...I thought it tasted great (and the hubs loved it), but the heavy cream was a bit too much for me. It tasted...bad for you, haha. Meaning it almost had a greasy taste to it, and I doubt it was due to the cheese because I didn't add that much. Next time (which there definitely will be a next time, and probably soon) I will try using half-and-half instead and see if that gives a better balance. These potatoes were really simple and really, really tasty, so I would highly recommend that you give this a try. I am leaving the recipe below unmodified, but take my advice and season it any which way you want because I am sure these would taste very plain unaltered.

Creamy Holiday Potatoes

Serves 8

1 package frozen shredded hash brown potatoes

kosher salt

3 cups heavy cream

Layer potatoes in a 13x9 baking dish, sprinkling salt over the potatoes, until dish is 3/4 full. Pour heavy cream over all until potatoes are not quite covered. Bake at about 300˚ for several hours until done. They will be golden brown and a little crunchy on top but creamy and yummy under the crust.