Sausage & Potatoe Breakfast Casserole

This is a savory breakfast treat that is both meaty and cheesy! I use the 1 pound sausage rolls that you find in the freezer section of the grocery store but you can use breakfast links... just take off the casings.

Although it doesn't look like the prettiest dish try it and you won't regret it! I will admit to having some guests send this back... but they later regret that they didn't try it. It just doesn't look like breakfast food. The people who brave it's looks, fall in love with it's taste! As Charelle told me this morning, "Everyone eats with their eyes first."

At least everyone in the kitchen and the housekeeping staff is excited to have some delicious breakfast...

6 servings
10-20 minute prep time
30 minute cooking time

Ingredients
1 lb russet potatoes, shredded and drained
Salt & Pepper
1 lb breakfast sausage, casings removed
2 tablespoons flour
1 1/2 cups whole milk or half & half (do not use reduced fat milk)
1 medium red onion
3/4 cups shredded Gouda
3/4 cups shredded sharp cheddar
Dried parsley flakes
Grated Parmesan cheese


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Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter or spray a 2 inch deep 8x8 baking dish.

2. In a skillet with a bit of olive oil, cook shredded potatoes till they just start to turn brown. Salt and pepper lightly. Transfer to your prepared baking dish. At the same time...

3. In a skillet, cook sausage over medium-high heat until brown, breaking into small pieces. Mix in flour and then add the milk. Cook until the mixture comes to a boil and thickens, stirring occasionally. At the same time...

4. Chop red onion as fine as you like. Transfer to the baking dish on top of the potatoes. Top onions with 1/2 the Gouda and 1/2 the sharp cheddar.

5. Transfer the sausage mixture to the baking dish on top of the cheese. Top with the remaining cheese and sprinkle with dried parsley flakes.

6. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the potatoes are tender. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and serve hot.

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Quick & Dirty Tips
I grate the potatoes and cheese using a food processor with the grating blade attached. It works so fast and you know the ingredients are fresh. You can also buy frozen grated potatoes or "hash browns" from the freezer section and skip the grating altogether. If you do grate the potatoes, make sure to drain as much liquid from them as possible. This helps speed up the cooking time.

Experiment with the cheeses. Just make sure that there is a 1 1/2 cups total in there. I bet this would taste good with a good imported Gruyere with fontina or emmental.

Use only a little bit of salt with the potatoes. The sausage is pretty salty to begin with but I do think it is important to season the potatoes a bit. Otherwise, they taste a bit bland on the bottom...