Country Breakfast Casserole

Ingredients

• 6 cups Frozen hash browns thawed
• 2/3 cup Butter melted
• 2 cups cooked ham diced -OR
• 2 cups browned breakfast sausage
• 1 cup Cheddar cheese shredded
• 1 cup milk
• 6 Eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt
• Freshly ground pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup tomato catsup

Instructions

1. Spray a 9x13 inch baking dish with oil.
2. Press hash browns on bottom of pan. They should be at least 1/2 inch deep as they shrink down as the crust browns. Drizzle melted butter over potatoes. Bake at 425F for 25 minutes until crisp and browned.
3. Reduce heat to 350F. Sprinkle ham or sausage and cheese over crust. Beat eggs, milk and salt; pour over crust and filling. Return to oven and bake, covered, 25-35 minutes or until knife inserted near center comes out clean. In the last few minutes of baking, uncover and add a few decorative squiggles of catsup to the top
4. Vegetarian options: Saute onions & mushrooms w/ a bit of salt & pepper. Use this in place of meat in the recipe. Vegetarian sausage will also work. Replace butter w/ canola oil and use the whites of 4 eggs with one whole egg to reduce the cholesterol content if you wish.
5. Serves 8
6. This can be a hit at breakfast or brunch. It travels well if you’re going to a pot luck event.
7. Pete Romfh, Feb. 2003