Cheesy Hashbrown Casserole

We went to lunch at a friend's house not too long ago and they had these potatoes sitting on the counter.  All of my other friends ranted an raved about these potatoes, and the smell was intoxicating, so I couldn't wait to get into them.

As the lunch went on, people went up for seconds and thirds on potatoes.  They seriously were some of the best potatoes I had ever eaten.  I decided that I would cook these up for Christmas just because they were so good, and really easy to whip up.

Cheesy Potato Casserole
from NancyCreative
Ingredients
2 lbs. frozen hash browns, thawed
3/4 cup  (1 1/2 sticks) butter, melted and divided
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 pint (2 cups) sour cream (regular or light)
2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
2 cups crushed corn flakes

Directions
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2) In a large bowl, combine thawed hash browns with 1/2 cup melted butter and all the remaining ingredients except the corn flakes.
3) Spread into a 9×13″ baking dish.
4) Mix 1/4 cup melted butter and the crushed corn flakes together and sprinkle over top of casserole.  
5) Bake at 350 degrees, uncovered, for 1 hour. Serve hot.

This dish is just so creamy and cheesy that it is amazing.  I made it for Christmas and had enough leftovers that it became a side that went with almost anything.  I think next time, I'd half the recipe, so we don't have so much, but it is a great special occasion side dish.