Cheesy Potatoes Recipe

Fourth of July week, and the Beaumont backyard is gearing up for what has become, apparently, an annual tradition: the Claycut Drive Independence Day cookout, hosted by Tommy, funded by Tommy, cooked by Tommy, and attended by everyone within smelling distance of the pit. Last year was sixteen people. This year Danielle says we should "keep it small." I said thirty. She said fifteen. We compromised at twenty-five, which is what happens when I negotiate with a woman who was born to negotiate.

Smoked brisket this year. Texas-style, which I know is treason for a Cajun, but brisket is brisket and fire is fire and the cow doesn't care what state you're in. Fourteen hours on the pit, started at midnight, salt and pepper rub only (the Texas way — no Cajun seasoning, no cayenne, just salt and pepper and smoke and time and faith). Oak wood. Low and slow. 225 degrees. I slept in a lawn chair next to the pit from midnight to 4 AM, woke up, checked the temperature, added wood, went back to the chair. It's the closest thing to camping I do anymore, sleeping next to a fire under the stars in my own backyard, and there's a peace in it that I can't find anywhere else.

The brisket came off at 2 PM on the Fourth: bark like lacquer, smoke ring an inch deep, the flat slicing clean and the point shredding into burnt ends that disappeared within fifteen minutes because burnt ends are the single greatest barbecue item on earth and anyone who disagrees hasn't had good ones. Carl ate an amount that should have been medically concerning. Tee-Claude's kids ate the burnt ends like candy. Rémy, predictably, ate more than any child his size should be capable of, looked at me, and said, "More." More. The boy is a machine.

Fireworks at dusk. Danielle's rules still apply: nothing that leaves the ground. Sparklers, fountains, and the Roman candle I deployed when she went inside for wine. Colette held her sparkler and wrote her name in the air, the letters hanging in gold for a split second before the dark took them back. Luc set off fountains with Tyler and Mason with the coordination of a demolition team. Rémy held his sparkler at arm's length and stared at it with the same intensity he gives to fish — total, unblinking, reverent. My boy. My sparkler-holding, fish-catching, boudin-demanding bayou boy.

When you’ve got a fourteen-pound brisket coming off the pit and twenty-five people in the backyard, the meat is never the problem — the sides are where you earn your keep. I’ve made these cheesy potatoes every year since Danielle declared them “non-negotiable,” which is the highest honor a dish can receive in this house. They go in the oven while the brisket rests, come out bubbling and golden right when people have already eaten three burnt ends and need something to slow them down, and Rémy will eat them with the same intensity he gives everything else worth eating — which is to say, completely and without comment until he looks up and says, “More.”

Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 55 minutes | Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes | Servings: 12

Ingredients

1 bag (32 oz) frozen diced hash brown potatoes, thawed
2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (plus extra for topping)
1 can (10.5 oz) cream of chicken soup
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted (divided)
1/2 cup yellow onion, finely diced
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 1/2 cups crushed buttery crackers (such as Ritz)

Instructions

Preheat oven. Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish with nonstick spray or butter and set aside.
Make the filling. In a large mixing bowl, combine the thawed hash browns, shredded cheddar, cream of chicken soup, sour cream, 1/4 cup of the melted butter, diced onion, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Stir until everything is evenly combined.
Transfer to dish. Spread the potato mixture evenly into the prepared baking dish, pressing it into a flat, even layer.
Make the topping. In a small bowl, combine the crushed crackers with the remaining 1/4 cup melted butter and toss to coat. Sprinkle the buttered cracker crumbs evenly over the top of the potato mixture, then add an additional handful of shredded cheddar over the crumbs.
Bake uncovered. Bake uncovered for 50–55 minutes, until the top is golden brown and the edges are bubbling. If the topping browns too quickly, loosely tent with foil for the last 10 minutes.
Rest and serve. Let the casserole rest for 5 minutes before serving. Scoop with a large spoon and serve hot alongside brisket, burnt ends, or anything else coming off the pit.

Nutrition (per serving)

Cheesy Potatoes Recipe — The Side Dish That Held Its Own Next to the Brisket