Breakfast Casserole with Ham, Cheese and Hashbrowns

Some of our family’s best Thanksgivings were at Casey’s beloved Aunt Joan and Uncle Stan’s ranch in Templeton, California. Hordes of cousins and their children, an annual football match with the Dad’s dressed in their college colors, deer and wild turkeys on the 40 acres. There was wood to be chopped, hikes to be taken and a feast to prepare. The definition of the perfect Thanksgiving.

I asked for this recipe from the lady who ran the bed and breakfast that we stayed in nearby, and I ran across it lately just in time for a holiday morning meal. This is especially easy to make, as you basically layer the ingredients in a dish and bake it . I prepared the hash brown, cheese and ham layers the night before and poured on the egg and milk mixture in the morning. (You probably could do the whole thing the night before actually.) The cheese melts and the eggs soak into the potatoes and its a filling, wonderful dish. And frozen hash browns are available everywhere. I served this at Mah Jongg and they all took a copy of the recipe home, not waiting for me to post it. Thanks to the Gilly Archer Inn of Paso Robles for this recipe!

There are no amounts listed of the ingredients…I really think it would be hard to get this wrong. I did use 1 lb. of hashbrowns (no need to defrost), about 8 ounces of each cheese and 8 ounces of the ham, 6 jumbo eggs and 1 1/4 cup milk. My casserole dish was 8″ by 11″. Whatever you’ve got will be fine.

On the bottom of a long flat dish, layer frozen hash browns about 3/4 inch thick. Cook at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. Cool. Grate Jalepeno Jack Cheese over the potatoes. Then scatter a layer of chopped smoked turkey or ham. Then a layer of grated Swiss cheese. Beat 4-8 eggs with 1 to 1/2 cups milk, salt and pepper. Pour the egg mixture over the casserole and bake at 350 degrees for about 35-40 minutes. This will stay warm for quite a while and serve 8 or more.