Best Breakfast/Brunch – Hash Brown Bake

I had the lovely joy recently of out of town guests who popped in unannounced!  Dear, old friends strolled into our Wednesday night church service and surprised us!  They had gotten a hotel nearby because they didn’t want to drop in on us as overnight guests, which was truly thoughtful.  However, I quickly invited them to come to our home for brunch the next morning so we could visit uninterrupted and leisurely, as opposed to going to a restaurant.

I love fixing brunch because you can go with savory and sweet.  I knew I had enough produce, meat and staples on hand to fix one of my favorite breakfast/brunch casseroles – Hash Brown Bake.  I’ve been making it for years after I found it in one of my Southern Living Cookbooks.  It serves 6-8 and is hearty, with eggs, hash browns and meat, if you like. Here’s the simple recipe:

3 cups frozen shredded potatoes
1/3 C butter, melted
1 C finely chopped cooked ham or bacon or sausage
1 C shredded Cheddar cheese
1/4 C Finely chopped green pepper
2 large eggs, beaten
1/2 C milk
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Thaw potato between layers of paper towels to remove excess moisture.  press potato into bottom and up sides of an ungreased 9 inch pie plate; drizzle with butter.

Bake at 425 degrees for 25 minutes or until lightly browned; cool on a wire rack 10 minutes.

Combine meat, cheese, and green pepper, spoon into potato shell.  Combine eggs and next 3 ingredients, stirring well; pour over meat mixture.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes or until set; let stand 10 minutes before serving.  Yield:  6-8 servings.

Note: You can assemble hash brown bake, omitting egg mixture, and store in refrigerator 8 hours.  Let stand at room temperature 30 minutes.Combine eggs, milk, salt and pepper;pour over ham mixture.  Bake.

My menu consisted of:

Hash Brown Bake
Bacon
Grits
Cooked Apples
Homemade Biscuits
Strawberry Freezer Jam
Fresh Fruit
And Dunkin Donuts that our friends brought!

It was a fun and yummy brunch and we were able to visit in the quiet of our home and talk the hours away!  This is another reason why keeping things on hand, if you can, is a blessing.  I didn’t have to run to the store for anything to make this meal.  My freezer and pantry had exactly what was necessary.  Being hospitable is more doable when you stay stocked up on freezer and pantry items.  That is a joy to my heart!

This is a great breakfast or brunch recipe for your family or any friends that might need a meal!  I hope you’ll make it soon!

With love from my country kitchen,