Beth's Brunch Bake

So I've been looking forward to making one of those "famer casserole" thingies for a while now. I looked at a few recipes, bought a few ingredients (two weeks ago) and forgot about it. Yeah, that sounds like me. Finding ourselves with an Easter weekend with nothing but house projects to do, I thought I might make an egg casserole-type dish that I've been longing for.

But, there are a couple of problems:

1. I am not fond of the density that most egg casseroles inherently have because of the yolk. Don't get me wrong - I LOVE egg yolks. There is nothing more beautifully sexy and luscious in the food world than a perfect, ooey gooey, rich and runny, deliciously poached egg. IT is like HEAVEN ON YOUR TOUNGE! But, since you don't particularly taste egg yolk in scrambled or baked eggs, it almost negates the reason for using them...and it makes a casserole dense. I like the light n' fluffy texture.
2. Most recipes I've found call for some type of bread, which turns me off because it makes me think of bread pudding. I have nothing against bread pudding, but DO NOT let it taint the lovely thoughts I have of a yummy breakfast!

The good thing about this type of dish is that you can put almost anything you want into it so its a good "clean-out-the-fridge" dish. Similar to a frittata which I also love. The only way in which this would pose a problem is in MY case. My fiancé hates veggies but loves sausage, and I am not the biggest fan of sausage but LOVE veggies. So while, I never get to make it the way I'd like to, I strike a compromise which makes him somewhat happy and I don't have to eat sausage. Thus, the following recipe:

(Picture before it was put in the oven to bake)

 

Beth's Brunch Bake

• 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 1/2 or more cups shredded Colby Jack shredded
• 14 eggs
• 1/2 bag shredded hash brown potatoes
• 10 crispy-fried center cut bacon strips, crumbled
• 1 cup cubed ham
• 3/4 Skim Milk + 1/4 cup half and half
• or 1 cup whole milk
• 1 cup regular or greek sour cream
• 1/4 to 1/3 cup sliced green onions
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
• a Pinch of Cayenne pepper

DIRECTIONS:



• In a large mixing bowl, beat eggs. Add milk, sour cream spices, and baking powder. Beat until eggs become light-colored and frothy; about medium speed for 2-3 minutes. In another bowl, stir onions, bacon, ham, and cheddar cheese together to mix.
• Coat the inside of a 9X13 inch baking dish with cooking spray or butter. Evenly spread the hash browns on the bottom. Pour 1/3 of egg mixture on top of hash browns to coat. Spread the ham, bacon & cheese mixture evenly in pan. Pour remainder of egg mixture over the top, covering all the ingredients. Top with the shredded Colby Jack cheese.
• Bake, uncovered at 325° for 50 -55 minutes or until a knife inserted near center comes out clean. Let stand for 5 minutes before cutting and serving. Serves 8.

If you want to make it a little easier, you can just mix it all together in one bowl and then add it to the dish, but it just seems to come out different to me.

(Pictures after it was baked & served)

(Picture right before it was DEVOURED, muahahahaaa!)

 

So, it was delicious. We even had seconds! I will try putting these into a muffin pan and have breakfast on the go! Or a handy snack. I have also toyed with making these low-carb by using cream instead of milk, and something like cauliflower, rutabaga, or celery root to substitute for the potatoes. Or you could just leave out the potatoes all together. Want it spicier? Add more cayenne and serve it will a drizzle of Sriracha. Like veggies? Add your faves! Your call, really!

 

That's a great reason to cook at home. You can have it YOUR way with a slim chance that it will be screwed up. But that's another blog post ;-).

 

~Beth a.k.a. The Epicurean Goddess