Cheesy Hash Brown Breakfast Casserole

Serves 6 to 8

• Cooking spray or oil, for coating the pan
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 pound uncooked breakfast sausage, casings removed
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 medium red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and diced
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
• 1 (20-ounce) bag frozen shredded potatoes (do not thaw)
• 10 large eggs
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 cup whole or 2% milk
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 1 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese (about 6 ounces)
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat to 375°F. Lightly coat a 9x13-inch baking dish with cooking spray or oil; set aside.

Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium heat until shimmering. Add the sausage and cook, breaking it up into small pieces with a wooden spoon, until browned and no longer pink, 6 to 8 minutes.

Add the onion, pepper, and 1/4 teaspoon of the salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes. Transfer the mixture to the baking dish, add the potatoes, stir to combine, and spread into an even layer.

Whisk the eggs in a large bowl. Add the sour cream, milk, mustard, cheese, remaining salt, and pepper and whisk to combine. Pour over the vegetable mixture.

Bake until the top is light golden-brown and a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes before slicing.

Recipe Notes

Make ahead: The casserole can be assembled, covered, and stored in the refrigerator overnight. Let sit at room temperature for 20 minutes before baking.

Storage: Leftovers can be stored in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Crustless Broccoli and Cheddar Quiche

Crustless Broccoli and Cheddar Quiche
By Kathy Brennan and Caroline Campion, authors of KEEPERS (which just won the IACP award for 2014!)

The chicest mom Kathy knew growing up (think Jackie O with a platinum bob) made a version of this dish. That was in the ‘70s, when quiche was all the rage, but in our minds, it defies trend. She was a busy woman, so she skipped the crust and often baked the filling in individual ramekins in advance.

Aside from blanching the broccoli, the quiche can be assembled in minutes. If you prefer to use frozen broccoli, there’s no need to blanch it; just thaw and pat dry.

Recipe: Crustless Broccoli and Cheddar Quiche
Makes one 10-inch quiche

You'll need:
Unsalted butter for greasing the pie dish
Salt
3 cups small broccoli florets (from about 1 large head of broccoli)
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (about 4 ounces)
1 cup whole milk
2/3 cup heavy cream
6 large eggs
Pinch of nutmeg, preferably freshly grated
Pepper

What to do:
Preheat the oven to 350F, with a rack in the middle position. Butter a 10-inch glass pie dish, then set aside.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat and season it generously with salt; it should taste like seawater. When it returns to a boil, add the broccoli and gently boil, stirring once or twice, until just crisp-tender, 1 to 2 minutes. Drain, rinse with cold water, then thoroughly pat dry and scatter over the bottom of the pie dish. Scatter the cheese evenly over top.

In a 1-quart measuring cup (see tip below) or medium bowl, whisk together the milk, cream, eggs, nutmeg, 1 teaspoon salt and pepper to taste until smooth, then pour over the cheese. Bake until the custard is just set in the center, 35 to 40 minutes. (Don’t worry if the center is a little trembly; it will cook a little more as it rests.) Let cool slightly before serving.

TIP: For convenience, we use a four-cup measuring cup to measure all of the ingredients for the quiche, ending with the custard, which we whisk right in the cup. First, measure the broccoli, then the cheese. Next, measure the 1 cup milk, add enough cream to reach 1 2/3 cups, then add the eggs, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Whisk together, then pour the custard into the dish.

Crustless Spinach, Onion and Feta Quiche

Crustless Spinach, Onion and Feta Quiche
1 medium onion, diced
6-oz fresh baby spinach
2 large eggs
2 large egg whites
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
pinch cayenne pepper
1 1/3 cups milk (low fat is fine)
1/2 cup feta cheese

Preheat oven to 400F.
Lightly grease a 10-inch quiche/tart pan (or a pie plate)
In a medium frying pan, cook diced onion with a bit of vegetable oil (or cooking spray) over medium-high heat until translucent and tender. Add in fresh spinach and cook until just wilted. Set aside to cool for a few minutes
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, flour, baking powder and salt. Whisk in milk, then stir in spinach-onion mixture.
Pour quiche base into prepared pan. Top with feta cheese.
Bake for 25 minutes, or until center is set and the outside edge is golden brown.
Let set for 5 minutes, then slice and serve.

Serves 4.
salt and pepper, to taste

**** Can also add other ingredients to this – sausage, ham.  Easy to adapt.