1 lb 10 oz bag hashbrowns, mostly thawed is best
2 cups sour cream
2 Tbsp butter, melted
1 Tbsp dried, minced onions
1/4 cup milk
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 cup+ grated cheese
Melt butter in bowl. Add minced onions and soup. Warm in microwave for a couple of minutes. Add milk, cheese, and sour cream. I add more cheese if it looks like it needs more. Warm in microwave until cheese is melted.
Add hashbrowns. Stir until evenly coated. (You may not need all the hashrowns. I add them gradually so I don't get too many. If you get too many, it is dry. If you don't have enough, it is too soupy.) Pour into 9x13 pan. Mix finely crushed corn flakes and some melted butter together and sprinkle over potatoes. Bake at 350 for 45 to 55 minutes. You want it to be bubbling all over. See 10 second video below.
Let set up for 5 minutes before eating.
I like to serve this with ham or sometimes just as a main dish -eventhough it is more of a side dish. Note: The original recipe calls for regular potatoes, shredded. But I don't always have the time. If I do have time, I bake several large potatoes the day before and then put them in the fridge to cool overnight. When I need them, I peel them and shred them into my mixture until it looks right. If there are potatoes left over, I use them for hasbrowns the next day for breakfast or something like that. Or you can parboil the potatoes. I've just found that using mostly thawed hashbrowns works well and is quicker.
Note: This recipe is very easy to halve. I do it all the time since I only have a family of 4.