Crispy Onion Bacon Potatoes

I turned around the container of French's crispy fried onions.  There are actually three recipes on the back.  Only the green bean casserole is in a special box that's colored blue, as the most popular recipe.  The one to the right of it conveniently uses up the rest of the box.

The discount sticker covered half the recipe, but I was going to link it anyway, so you can check out some cool recipes at Frenchs.com.  This one is actually on the McCormick site, which I didn't realize was linked until now.  They appear to own French's.

The cool part of this is that it's only four ingredients, and one is leftover mashed potatoes.  All the extra ingredients I'm posting are for how I made the mashed potatoes in a way that I thought would complement the casserole.  I was making the bacon to save the grease.  What I do with the cooked bacon is generally something like this or freeze it to reheat at a random breakfast.  I suppose you could make this kosher or vegetarian by using a package of soy-based bacon bits.

I'm adding some leftover parsley and seasonings to the potatoes, plus changing up the cheese, so this is technically my own recipe.  Copyright laws on recipes are pretty broad, but I am absolutely giving French's the credit for the inspiration.  I'm just making the kinds of changes every cook tends to, to make a recipe something that fits their personal tastes.

1-1/2 lbs Gold or Russet potatoes
1/2 C milk
2 Tb butter or margarine
*1/2 bunch parsley, chopped (about 1 cup)
salt to taste
*2 C shredded or crumbled cheese of choice
*12 oz bacon, cooked, excess fat removed, and chopped
*2 C crispy fried onions

1.  Scrub potatoes.  Peel if desired, then chop into 1" cubes.  I didn't because I wanted the texture of the skins.  In a large pot, cover with water.  Sprinkle with a bit of salt and bring to a boil.  Cook at a low boil until easily pierced with a fork.  Drain.

2.  While hot, mash.  I make mine by putting everything in the stand mixer with the paddle because I'm not going for perfectly smooth mashed potatoes.  If I want that, I use the flakes out of a box and save myself about half an hour.  Add the milk, butter, and parsley.  Taste and add salt as needed.

3.  Preheat oven to 350º and get out an 8x8 baking dish.  Cover bottom of dish with half of the potatoes.  Sprinkle with half of the cheese, half of the bacon, and half of the onions.  I used feta for the middle layer and mozzarella for the top.  The original recipe uses cheddar for all of it.  I say go with whatever makes you happy.

4.  Cover the fillings with the rest of the potatoes and bake until heated through, about 20 minutes.  Remove from oven.  Top with remaining cheese, bacon, and onions and return to the oven.  Cook another 5 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and toasty.  Allow to cool 5 minutes, to set up a little, before serving.

Difficulty rating  π if using leftovers, :-0 from scratch