March Madness Casserole

Total Time: 1 hr 45 mins Preparation Time: 1 hr 15 mins Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 4
• 1/2 lb of thick sliced bacon (i used apple wood smoked)
• 8 ounces cream cheese
• 1/2 cup sun-dried tomato, packed in oil- drained and minced
• 17 ounces of your favorite alfredo sauce
• 1 tablespoon tabasco sauce
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced green onion (i just used the green parts)
• 2 1/2 cups grated smoked gouda cheese
• 13 3/4 ounces artichoke bottoms, packed in water- drained and sliced in thin crescents
• 2 (20 ounce) packages simply potatoes® shredded hash browns
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup canola oil

Recipe

• 1 preheat oven to 375 deg.
• 2 slice the bacon into ¾ inch pieces and place them on a baking sheet that has been lined with aluminum foil. they bake at 375 deg. for about 18 minutes.
• 3 removed cooked bacon to a paper towel to drain.
• 4 place cream cheese, alfredo sauce and sun dried tomatoes and tobasco sauce in a food processor and blend until smooth. scrape mixture into a bowl and set aside.
• 5 mix the ground cumin into two eggs –like you were making scrambled eggs.
• 6 place the shredded hash browns in large mixing bowl and incorporate the egg mixture into them with your hands.
• 7 sprinkle in the flour, blend it in with your hands and set aside.
• 8 heat a 12 inch non-stick omelet pan and add canola oil to the bottom when hot—just enough to coat the ten inch area at the bottom.
• 9 add 1/3 of the potato mixture and press into the bottom to form a large 9 to 10 inch potato cake.
• 10 fry 7 to 8 minutes on each side at med –high flame to form a thin, crispy potato pan cake. remove it to the bottom of a round casserole dish that is about 10 inches in diameter.
• 11 fry the second potato cake—while the first side cooks begin building the casserole.
• 12 spread a layer of the alfredo mixture on top, sprinkle with all the bacon, add 1/3 the green onions and 1/3 the smoked gouda.
• 13 add the second potato cake to casserole, top with 1/3 alfredo mixture, artichoke bottoms, 1/3 of the green onions and 1/3 of the smoked gouda.
• 14 fry the last potato cake, add it to dish , top with last of the alfredo and gouda and sprinkle with the last of the green onions.
• 15 bake at 375 deg. for 30 minutes.
• 16 let stand for 15 to 20 minutes before serving--that way the slices stay together better.