Hash Brown Casserole With Bacon and Cheddar

Wonderful for a weekend brunch. My whole family absolutely loves it. Lots of flavor from the onions, chives, and bell pepper. There are lots of variations of this recipe but I like that this one uses milk instead of sour cream or cream cheese which are high in fat and this one still has just as much flavor. It came from Debbie Macomber's Cedar Cove Cookbook that a friend got me for Christmas. I only switch the whole milk to 1 % and keep the skillet at medium-low instead of low when making the sauce. Can easily be doubled to serve more people. When I do, I use a 12 oz package of bacon and a 1 lb 14 oz bag of hash browns since that's what they usually come in anyways. Also, the easiest way to snip the chives is with kitchen scissors. So much faster than with a knife! Enjoy!

• Ready In: 1 hr 20 mins
• Serves: 6
• Yields: 6 squares

Ingredients

• 8  ounces bacon
• 1⁄2 medium onion, chopped
• 1  red bell pepper, chopped
• 2  tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 1⁄2 cups milk
• 1  lb frozen hash brown potatoes
• 1⁄2 cup  snipped fresh chives
• 1 1⁄4 cups  shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Directions

1. 1. Preheat oven to 350 ° F. Butter an 8-inch-square glass baking dish.
2. 2. Cook bacon in a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat until crisp. Remove slices; drain on a paper-towel-lined plate In same skillet over medium-low heat, cook onion and pepper in bacon dripping 8 minutes, until softened, stirring often.
3. 3. Keep skillet at medium-low. Stir in flour. Slowly pour in milk, ½ cup at a time, stirring to incorporate smoothly with the flour. Cook until mixture thickens and comes to a simmer, about 5 minutes, stirring often. Crumble bacon into mixture.
4. 4. Evenly spread potatoes in prepared dish. Top with half of the chives, 1 cup of the cheese, and the vegetable-bacon mixture. Sprinkle with the remaining ¼ cup of cheese. Bake 40-50 minutes, until potatoes are tender. Sprinkle with remaining chives before cutting into squares.