The Food Corner

373

By Paul Cormier, Salamanders of Kemptville

Last year, I mentioned that our family loves breakfast. This morning was cool and bright and it’s the kind of day when having a tasty twist on breakfast is in order. We’ve already reviewed the Breakfast Frittata. This recipe is just as good and it’s simply a Breggfast Casserole. I recommend it for family meals on Saturday or Sunday morning before venturing out to do things together.  

Breggfast Casserole

Ingredients

  • 1 bag of frozen hashbrowns
  • 1 chopped onion
  • ¼ cup ricotta cheese
  • ½ cup grated Swiss cheese (or a bit more, if you wish)
  • 6 eggs
  • ½ teaspoon of baking powder
  • 8 slices of bacon 
  • Spice it up with; some black pepper, oregano, sage, chives, all to your choice

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 F
  2. Cook the bacon over medium heat until moderately crisp
  3. Stir in the onions and sweat
  4. Stir in the potatoes and cook until golden brown
  5. Beat the eggs in a large bowl
  6. Blend in the ricotta, ¼ cup of the Swiss Cheese, the baking soda and your chosen spices
  7. Stir in the bacon, onion and potato mixture

Pour into an oven-proof casserole dish and bake for a half hour or so. This is another dish that begs for substitutions. Vegetarians can skip the bacon and sweat the onions in olive oil. Ricotta can be replaced with cottage cheese. Swiss Cheese can be replaced with any flavourful cheese you have in the fridge, such as cheddar, gouda, Monterey Jack, etc. For a topping, you can crumble some Feta cheese, or sprinkle with parsley, chives or Parmesan. A pile of toast, a dark roast coffee or English Breakfast tea are good companions to this casserole. Please drop me a line and let me know what your take was on this great breakfast dish by mailing me at: pcormier@ranaprocess.com