As I said in last week’s column, a lot of my cooking these days is throwing together ingredients, particularly what is on hand, or creating something with leftovers. The other day I made a wicked mash-spread with leftover fried salt fish and potatoes; I will tell you about that another time. Sometimes, I have an idea as to how these creations might turn out and other occasions I have no clue, simply going with the flow. This casserole, which I call a breakfast casserole because it has bacon, cheese and eggs, is worthy of brunch with the addition of potatoes and callaloo (spinach).
This is not the first time I’ve made this dish but it is one of my go-to dishes for a meal particularly for brunch, lunch, or dinner. It can be eaten on its own, with lots of crisp fresh lettuce or crusty, toasted, and buttered bread. Last Sunday I did not feel like cooking but had all the ingredients in the refrigerator. I quickly put together this casserole for a late lunch and shared half of it with my friend who had dropped off the callaloo the day before.
Later in the evening she called to strike up a deal wondering if the delivery of other ingredients in the casserole will result in more being made soon (lol).
Treat the family to this tomorrow for breakfast or brunch. If you don’t eat bacon, then get some gourmet cured sausages and use that instead. Obviously, turkey bacon is an option. Oh, ham would be perfect too.
Breakfast Casserole
INGREDIENTS
· 10 rashers of streaky bacon, or whatever type you prefer
· 2 pounds potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
· 2 cups sliced onions
· 4 cups young thick leaf callaloo/spinach, pat dry
· 8 eggs, room temperature
· 2 cups grated cheese – cheddar, mozzarella, or your preference
DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Brush an 8 x 8-inch baking dish with oil and set aside.
3. Cook bacon and reserve the drippings/grease; cut bacon into 3-inch pieces and set aside.
4. Sauté potatoes and onions in bacon drippings/grease seasoning both with salt and pepper to taste. The potatoes should be ¾ way cooked through. You can choose to cook the onions and potatoes separately if you like.
5. Spread the potatoes-onion mixture in an even layer at the bottom of the dish, or, if you cooked them separately, put the potatoes first, then the onions.
6. Add the spinach in an even layer over the potatoes and onions.
7. Beat the eggs and season lightly with salt and pepper. Pour the eggs over and around spinach.
8. Top with cheese and assemble bacon pieces on top of cheese.
9. Bake for 20 minutes. Serve hot or at room temperature. It really goes well with some sort of hearty, toasted, crusty bread or bread roll.
Enjoy!
Cynthia
cynthia@tasteslikehome.org
