Breakfast Casserole

I was going to visit at the library and Rena had been mentioning how they kept giving me books and I was not reciprocating by bringing food.  So I said I would supply the Friday crew with breakfast.  I knew I would be bringing scones, but I wanted a more substantial breakfast.  I searched around for a breakfast casserole and changed a few things and combined different ones.  This is what I fed those poor unsuspecting souls.

Breakfast Casserole

1 large bag frozen hash brown potatoes
1 package Jimmy Dean sausage, I bought the low fat recipe, don't tell the folk in Fincastle
yellow onions, I like them so I used about 1 cup, chopped

Cheese  I used mostly cheddar, some horseradish cheddar, cream cheese and some jack  it came to about 2 cups.  I WAS going to put in some Swiss cheese but it had some suspicious green spots and I decided not to poison my friends and threw it away.

8 eggs
1 cup milk, I used 1%
3 green onions, sliced
1/2 teaspoon dried mustard
S & P
a sprinkle of Italian Herbs
and the last of a can (about 1/2 can) of French's French Fried Onions, yes, I know, THREE different onions.  You can leave them in or leave them out to suit yourself.

                           

I pulled the hash browns out of the freezer in the morning and put them in the refrigerator to thaw.   I assembled the casserole the night before I needed it .  I wanted a quick getaway.  You could make it and bake it the same morning if you wish, but take the hash browns out of the freezer the night before.

                                

Spray a 13X9 casserole dish.  Add the sausage to a large fry pan on medium heat.  Break it up with a wooden spoon or spatula and add the chopped yellow onions.  Cook until the sausage is no longer pink and the onions are translucent.  Remove from heat.  I added 1/2 of a package of cream cheese I had to the warm sausage mixture and stirred it until smooth and melty.

                                  

 

You could layer everything in the dish, but I chose to put everything in a large bowl and mix it.  I put in the potatoes and the shredded cheese and added the sausage mixture.  I sprinkled it with salt and pepper and the herbs and the dried mustard.  Stir it all up and spread it in the prepared dish

Using the same bowl, add the eggs and milk.  I chose to leave out any flour, but my dish may have held together better with a Tablespoon mixed in the egg mixture.  It didn't set as well as I would have hoped.  In a perfect world I would make it again and again until I got it right, but this is the world I live in and my friends in the library were kind enough to eat it anyway!  They aren't paid well and they were hungry, so that may have had a part in their decision!

                                         

Mix the eggs well and pour carefully over the potatoes.  At this point I covered the dish with foil and set it in the fridge.

                                       

In the morning I topped the casserole with some French's French Fried Onions and a bit more cheese.  No such thing as too much cheese.  I recovered the dish and cooked it for 45 minutes at 350.  Remove the foil and cook for 10 or 15 more minutes until the top is nicely browned and you have cooked the casserole for right about 1 hour.  Let it cool a bit and then haul it to the library...I mean serve.