Breakfast for dinner

 

Eggs Benedict

We call it brinner. You know, there are those nights when nothing says “dinner” to you, and you just don’t know what to fix. Sometimes sausage and pancakes sound good, or scrambled eggs and bacon. Maybe stir a bit of chopped smoked salmon, or chopped tomato, and a sliced green onion into those eggs before scrambling.

Sometimes if I’m jut fixing supper for myself, a baked egg sounds good. Maybe line a greased ramekin with bread—I often choose a good rye—and top that with spinach and grated sharp cheddar. Crack your egg, carefully, on top of that. Salt, pepper, and a bit of milk to keep it from drying out, and you’re done. Bake until it’s as runny—or not—as you want. I like It runny.

Maybe do your own version of Eggs Benedict—my Colin replaces Canadian bacon with sliced Taylor’s pork roll—yummy. I sometimes do a simplified version—butterr a piee of that rye toast heavily, top with slices of sharp cheddar, and slide a poached egg on top. Again, I like it runny.

Breakfast casserole recipes abound on the internet and in food magazines. Classic stand-bys include a strata, what my mom used to call a sandwich souffle. Layers of bread, cheese, and sometimes ham, soaked overnight in a milk-and-egg mixture and then baked in the morning. And of course, there are casseroles with tortillas and others with potatoes. One with potatoes, cream of mushroom soup, sour cream, cheddar, corn flakes, and onion can legitimately be called ubiquitous—it’s rich, delicious, and so high in cholesterol you may not want to think about it.

The same may bee true of the pork sausage and potato casserole I recently fixed for the family and plan to fix again. Jacob loved it.

Pork sausage and hash brown casseerole

Serves 8

2 lbs. ground pork sausage (you choose the heat and flavoring if any)

1 30-oz. pkg frozen shredded hash browns

2 tsp. salt, divided

1 tsp. pepper, divided

6 oz. sharp cheddar, divided, or more according to taste

6 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 c. whole milk

1 tsp. fresh parsley, chopped

1 tsp. chives, chopped

           Spray a 9x13 pan with cooking spray.

           Cook sausage in skillet until brown and crumbly; drain well.

Cook hash browns in batches, following pkg. directions. Sprinkle with 1 tsp. salt and ½ tsp. pepper.

Stir together sausage, potatoes, and cheese in large bowl. Spread evenly in greased 9x13 pan. Separately whisk together eggs, milk, and remaining salt and pepper. Pour evenly over eggs. Top with remaining cheese. (I’d use more and get a good cheese topping.)

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until set. To serve, sprinkle with parsley and chives (optional).