In our second week of Stay-home recipes, we are focusing on re-inventing fast food items, and to start, we can’t miss out on the big ‘M’, can we? Yup, we’re talking about McDonald’s—more specifically, one of their best-selling items, Hashbrown.
If you are planning to get your McMuffins, McGriddles or Hot Cakes delivered for breakfast, why not order a couple more hash browns to-go? We ourselves know how much we adore these humble-looking fried potato patties. And although they are good eaten alone, dipped in McDonald’s signature Garlic Chilli, why not give them a new breath of life by jazzing them up a little for lunch or dinner?
To go with our cup of McDonald’s Spiked Dessert Pie Milkshakes, I proudly present to you, the eat-me-anytime-of-the-day Hashbrown Casserole.
Ingredients
- 7 McDonald’s Hashbrown
- 1 packet of diced mini sausages (can be replaced with ham or bacon, according to your preference)
- 4 eggs
- 1 stalk of chopped spring onions
- 3 – 4 cloves of minced garlic
- 2 cups of shredded cheese (cheddar or mozzarella)
- Salt (As required)
- Pepper (As required)
Tools
- Baking dish (23cm X 15cm)
- Oven
- Knife
- Chopping board
Recipe Preparation
Preparation time: 15 minutes; Cooking time: 25-30 minutes (depending on individual oven)
Feeds three
- Preheat the oven to 170°C.
- Cut and prepare the ingredients accordingly.
- In a large bowl, crack all four eggs, season with salt and pepper and whisk till well mixed. Set aside.
- To a frying pan, add oil and pan-fry the sausages till they are golden brown on the surface. Remove from heat.
- In a baking dish, lay hashbrowns neatly as a base and ensure that the base is completely filled. Break hashbrowns into smaller bits if required.
- Evenly sprinkle minced garlic, chopped spring onions and sausages (use half) on the surface before adding a layer of cheese.
- With the remaining hashbrowns, break them up and evenly distribute on the cheese layer.
- Finish off with the remaining sausages, more cheese and spring onions before pouring the egg mixture over the entire dish.
- Bake the casserole in the oven for 20 minutes before doing your first check. The top layer should be perfectly golden brown in colour and the egg mixture should have set in the heat.
- If not, bake for an additional 5 to 10 more minutes before checking for doneness.
Recipe (In Pictures)
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 170 degrees Celcius.
Step 2: Cut and prepare the ingredients accordingly.
Step 3: In a large bowl, crack all four eggs, season with salt and pepper and whisk till well mixed. Set aside.
Step 4: To a frying pan, add oil and pan-fry the sausages till they are golden brown on the surface. Remove from heat.
Step 5: In a baking dish, lay hashbrowns neatly as a base and ensure that the base is completely filled. Break hashbrowns into smaller bits if required.
Step 6: Evenly sprinkle minced garlic, chopped spring onions and sausages (use half) on the surface before adding a layer of cheese.
Step 7: With the remaining hashbrowns, break them up and evenly distribute on the cheese layer.
Step 8: Finish off with the remaining sausages, more cheese and spring onions before pouring the egg mixture over the entire dish.
Step 9: Bake the casserole in the oven for 20 minutes before doing your first check. The top layer should be perfectly golden brown in colour and the egg mixture should have set in the heat. If not, bake for an additional 5 to 10 more minutes before checking for doneness.
Frankly speaking, I wasn’t the most confident when I sent my baking dish into the oven. This recipe is technically done best with frozen hash browns or tater tots. Thus, I was a little sceptical of how its final texture will be like using cooked hashbrowns. Would it be too dry?
Thankfully, I was blessed by the baking Gods and the dish came out perfect! As I opened the oven, whiffs of luscious nuttiness from the baked cheese filled the air and immediately I knew I got it right.
The top of the Hashbrown Casserole was baked to a beautiful golden yellow, with uneven parts of browning from the slightly burnt cheddar cheese. Inside were layers of shredded potatoes, interlaced between random pieces of sausages and bits of spring onions. There were no longer traces of hashbrowns but just a complete meal by itself brought together by a cheesy egg mixture.
Contrary to how it looked, although the dish was rich and carb-loaded with potatoes, it was not as heavy on the palate. Every mouthful taken was savoury and moist with bites of fragrance from the use of herb-infused mini sausages. The egg mixture gave the dish a tad bit of fluff from the pockets of air in between resulting in comforting mouthfuls of goodness.
A dish suitable for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, this eat-me-anytime-of-the-day Hashbrown Casserole is the classic embodiment of a hearty one-dish meal created to suit everyone in the family. Feel free to also pop in greens like broccoli or peas and change up your protein according to your liking!
Expected Damage: S$8 – S$10 per portion
