Breakfast casserole

I'm not much of a morning person, so breakfast is not a meal I make often. However, this is delicious and so popular, I will take the time to make it. It freezes beautifully, so if you have the time, make TWO pans and freeze individual portions.

You can halve this recipe and bake it in a pie pan, but really - you'll be sorry if you do. It won't be enough!

Read this all the way through before you cook - there are steps that take place simultaneously. Tweaked from Cook's Country.

Breakfast Casserole

4 large eggs
2 cups milk (not skim)
salt
2 cups flour
2 Tbsp melted butter
4 scallions, chopped
1 1/2 lbs yellow potatoes (about 4), peeled and cut into 1/4" dice
24 oz breakfast sausage (I get the big "logs" of Jimmy Dean)
4 Tbsp vegetable oil (I use bacon fat - much tastier!)
2 oz grated Parmesan cheese (about 1 cup)

Heat oven to 425F and put the oven rack in the upper-middle position. Grease a 9" x 13" pan and set aside. Whisk eggs, milk, and 1 teaspoon salt in a bowl until well combined. Stir in flour until just incorporated - the mixture will be a little lumpy. Whisk until the batter is smooth. Stir in scallions and set aside while preparing other ingredients. 

Toss potatoes with a couple tablespoons of water in a large microwave-safe bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, cut a couple vent holes in the plastic, and microwave on high until the potatoes just begin to soften, 3-4 minutes. Meanwhile, cook the sausage in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat, breaking up the clumps, until the meat has lost most of its pink color, about 4 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, spread the sausage evenly over the bottom of the pan. 

Heat oil in the skillet with the sausage fat over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add cooked potatoes and 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook, flipping occasionally, until potatoes are golden and crisp, 8-10 minutes. While cooking the potatoes, put the pan with the sausage into the oven and cook about 10 minutes.

Drain potatoes on paper towels (after they're done cooking). Remove the pan from the oven, set on a cooling rack, and, working quickly, sprinkle half of the cheese over the sausage and pour the batter evenly over the filling. Scatter the potatoes on top and sprinkle with the remaining cheese. 

Bake until puffed and golden, 25-30 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven, run a knife around the edges of the pan, and let cool 5 minutes. Enjoy!