No canned soup or frozen shredded potatoes in this crowd-pleaser!
Ever had Funeral Potatoes before?
Where Do Funeral Potatoes Come From?
Sally Vargas
How Did Funeral Potatoes Get Their Name?
Wondering where the name “funeral potatoes” comes from?
I wondered if using homemade soup, fresh potatoes, and fresh ingredients would make a difference.
Sally Vargas
I even made a traditional version with frozen hash browns and canned cream of chicken soup for comparison.
While it reminded me of the potatoes of my youth, this from-scratch version won hands down.
Ultimately, the parboiled potatoes were the winner.
Sally Vargas
Here, it intensified the overall creaminess of my hash brown casserole.
The darker the roux the more flavorful the soup, but how dark you go is up to you.
The results are extraordinary and make a soup worthy of eating as its own meal.
Sally Vargas
This soup base is definitely the most labor-intensive part of making funeral potatoes from scratch.
(Note that I dont recommend freezing it since freezing and reheating can affect the texture.)
Panko makes a consistently crunchy topping and eliminates the step of crushing the cornflakes into crumbs.
Sally Vargas
The crunchy panko topping also reheated beautifully, while the cornflake topping was just so-so.
Just spread into the casserole dish, cover with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator.
When ready, uncover the casserole, sprinkle on the panko crumbs, and cook according the recipe.
Sally Vargas
Scrub the potatoes clean, but leave the skins on.
Place them in a large pot and cover with water.
Bring to a boil.
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Allow to boil for about 10 minutes.
Turn off heat and let the potatoes sit in the hot water for another 10 minutes.
Drain the potatoes and set aside until cool enough to handle.
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Once the potatoes are cool enough to handle, score them along their equator with a paring knife.
Twist each side in opposite directions to remove skin.
The skin should pull off easily.
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If any bits of skin remain, trim them off with a knife.
Stir until thoroughly combined.
Spread into casserole dish.
Sally Vargas
In the same pan where you cooked the onions, melt remaining 3 tablespoons of butter over medium heat.
Add the panko and remaining 1/4 teaspoon of salt.
Toast panko, stirring frequently, until it takes on a golden hue, about 5 minutes.
Sprinkle evenly over the top of the potatoes.
Bake for 45 minutes, or until done.
When done, the potatoes should be bubbling around the edges, and the panko top will be golden.
Cool for 10 minutes, then spoon onto plates.
