Bacon Cheddar Egg Nests & Breakfast Potato Casserole - Mother's Day Brunch (cont.)
Mother's Day is tomorrow and if you haven't planned brunch yet, now is the time. Luckily, you most likely have the ingredients for these two recipes in your kitchen ready to go. They're simple, delicious and great for kids, especially the egg nests. So far this week, I've shared two sweet recipes for mom to indulge in but these savory dishes are quite tasty as well. I know that I personally love a good savory brunch meal.
The egg nests are less tricky to make then they seem. All it takes is a little frozen hash browns, some bacon, eggs and cheese. Assemble the nests first by lining the sides of a muffin cup with an uncooked slice of bacon. Fill the cup halfway with the hash browns, add in the egg mixture as directed, top with cheese and chives. They're simple to make and hardly take any prep time so you can focus on other things like a little one flipping pancakes on the stove.
The Breakfast Potato Casserole is meant to be an "everything but the kitchen sink" type of dish. Below is my exact recipe for you to follow if you'd like but honestly, you can throw it together with whatever vegetables you have. The important thing to remember is to cook any of the more sturdy veggies like potatoes for a bit first. Otherwise, you'll get hard potatoes and overcooked everything else.
BACON AND CHEDDAR EGG NESTS
Ingredients:
10 eggs
1/4 cup milk
2 cups frozen hash browns
6 bacon slices
1 cup cheddar cheese
2 tablespoons chives, chopped
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Spray a jumbo baking tin with cooking spray*. In a large bowl, mix together eggs and milk.
2. Rim each muffin cup with a slice of bacon. Fill the cup about halfway with hash browns pressing them down as tight as you can. Pour egg mixture into each muffin cup till almost full, about 3/4 of the way. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, cheddar cheese and a dash of chives.
3. Place in the oven and bake about 20-25 minutes until the eggs are cooked. Serve immediately.
*I used a jumbo muffin tin for the nests but a regular size one will work just fine. The cooking time might need to be adjusted so make sure to check around the 10 minute mark.
BREAKFAST POTATO CASSEROLE
Ingredients:
5 large potatoes, cut into 1-inch pieces
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon paprika
1 pound breakfast sausage
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
1/2 green bell pepper, diced
1.5 cups shredded cheddar cheese
2 tablespoons chopped chives
salt and pepper
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Toss the potatoes with salt, pepper, garlic powder, paprika and olive oil and spread on a baking sheet. Cook until potatoes are fork tender, about 15-20 minutes.
2. While the potatoes bake, brown the breakfast sausage in a skillet breaking it up as you go until it is cooked through. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate to let drain. Add the peppers to the skillet and soften slightly. They should still have a bit of a bite to them.
3. When the potatoes are done cooking, transfer them to a square casserole or baking dish. Toss with the cooked sausage and peppers. Top with cheddar cheese and chives. Bake about 10 minutes until cheese has melted completely. Serve immediately.
