The Lunch Lady
Upside-down breakfast casserole with Cali sauce
Sausage, eggs and cheese with a golden potato crust on top. A little Dijon seasons the eggs, and green Cali sauce finishes each slice with parsley, garlic and lime.
Published
- Servings
- 8 generous squares
- Total time
- About 2 hours 10 minutes
Includes 15 minutes of rest before flipping and another 5 minutes before slicing. Cook the sausage and make the sauce while the potatoes roast and the casserole bakes. All times are approximate.
Put the potato crust on top
Thursday's sausage, potato, egg and cheese casserole turned out really, really tasty. The eggs need their own seasoning. A little Dijon helps big time. Don't be scared of it. You don't get a sharp mustard bite, just a little more flavor behind the sausage and cheese.
My recommendation is to serve this upside down. Let the baked casserole rest for about 15 minutes, put a cutting board over the dish and flip it. Give it another five minutes before cutting. Now you've got that crunchy, cheesy potato crust on top and soft eggs underneath.
A frozen one-pound bag of hash browns works great too. Roast them first so the extra moisture cooks off and the edges start to brown. Then use them just like the fresh potatoes.
Don't be afraid to make your own pork sausage. Ground pork and a few seasonings are all it takes. Store-bought breakfast sausage tastes great here too. This is a breakfast casserole. Get creative with the fillings and use what you like.
The Cali sauce is worth making. Parsley gives it fresh herb flavor and a little color, and lime brings the tang. Drizzle it over each slice right before eating.
In the kitchen
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Home recipe
Upside-down breakfast casserole with Cali sauce
The Lunch Lady · Jared Veldheer
- Servings
- 8 generous squares
- Prep time
- About 25 minutes
- Cook time
- About 1 hour 25 minutes
- Total time
- About 2 hours 10 minutes
Includes 15 minutes of rest before flipping and another 5 minutes before slicing. Cook the sausage and make the sauce while the potatoes roast and the casserole bakes. All times are approximate.
Equipment: 9-by-13-inch baking dish, rimmed sheet pan, large skillet, parchment paper, blender, instant-read thermometer, sharp knife and a sturdy cutting board larger than the baking dish
Ingredients
Check off ingredients as you go.
Potato crust and fillings
Simple homemade breakfast sausage
Seasoned eggs
Cali sauce
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 425°F. Oil the bottom and sides of the baking dish, line the bottom with parchment cut to fit, and lightly oil the parchment. Toss your choice of potatoes with the tablespoon of oil and black pepper. Spread in a thin, even layer on the sheet pan. Roast fresh diced potatoes for about 25 to 35 minutes. For frozen hash browns, use the whole one-pound bag straight from frozen, break up any clumps, and roast for about 20 to 30 minutes. Turn either option halfway through; start checking thin shreds after 15 minutes. The potatoes should be tender, with browned edges and no wet patches. Salt while hot, using less if the hash browns are already seasoned. Use the roasted hash browns in place of the fresh potatoes when assembling the crust in step 4.
- If making sausage, mix the ground pork with its sage, salt, pepper, thyme, garlic powder and optional maple syrup. Otherwise, use the prepared breakfast sausage without adding those seasonings. Brown the sausage in the skillet, breaking it into small crumbles, until cooked through to 160°F. Transfer to a bowl, leaving about 1 teaspoon of fat in the skillet.
- Cook the onion in the reserved fat over medium heat for about 8 to 10 minutes, until soft and lightly browned. Add the garlic for the last minute. Keep the filling fairly dry.
- Lower the oven to 350°F. Press the roasted potatoes firmly into an even layer in the lined baking dish. Scatter 1/2 cup of the cheese over them. Bake for about 8 to 10 minutes, until the cheese melts into the potatoes and helps hold the crust together.
- Whisk the sour cream with the milk until smooth, then whisk in the eggs, Dijon, paprika, pepper and salt. Cook a spoonful in the skillet with a little sausage and cheese, taste it, and adjust the egg seasoning before assembling.
- Spread the sausage and onions over the potato crust. Add 1 cup of cheese. Slowly pour the egg mixture over the back of a large spoon so the potatoes stay in place. Cover loosely with lightly oiled foil.
- Bake for about 40 to 55 minutes total. For the final 10 to 15 minutes, remove the foil and scatter on the remaining 1/2 cup cheese. The center should be set with no liquid egg and reach 165°F. Start checking early if your filling was still warm.
- Meanwhile, make the Cali sauce. Warm its garlic in the olive oil over very low heat for about 5 to 8 minutes, until softened without browning. Let the oil cool. Blend the parsley, garlic and its oil, lime, Parmesan, salt and half the sour cream until smooth. Stir in the remaining sour cream and mayonnaise. Add milk a little at a time until it drizzles easily. Taste for salt and lime.
- Let the casserole rest in its dish for about 15 minutes. Run a thin knife around the edges. Place the sturdy cutting board over the dish, hold both firmly with dry oven mitts, and turn them over together in one quick, controlled motion. Set the board down, lift off the dish and peel away the parchment. The potato crust is now on top.
- Rest another 5 minutes, then cut into 8 squares with a sharp knife. Drizzle with Cali sauce just before serving.
Recipe notes
- Raw parsley goes straight into the sauce. If you prefer, blanch it for about 10 seconds, drain well and let it cool before blending.
- Cook and drain any added vegetables first. A little corn, sauteed mushrooms or well-squeezed spinach works. Swap some of the existing filling instead of overloading the dish.
- Cheddar and Monterey Jack work in place of the Mexican blend. Keep the cheese against the potatoes so the crust holds together when you flip it.
- The sauce makes about 1 1/4 cups. Add it to individual slices so the crust keeps its texture.