#FantasticalFoodFight ~ Potato Breakfast Casserole

Welcome to September's Fantastical Food Fight, hosted by Sarah of Fantastical Sharing of Recipes! This month it's all about the Breakfast Casseroles. Which is funny, because just before the reminder e-mail came through I had made my first breakfast casserole in FOREVER the weekend prior. It was a "kitchen sink" type casserole to use up some random ingredients in an effort to purge the refrigerator. It was a taco based version with sourdough bread as the base, and it was very tasty!

For this version I thought I'd give those frozen hash browns that have been forlornly whiling away the hours/days/months (whatever) in my freezer a purpose! It turned out very potato-ey! It was filling, tasty, simple, easy to throw together and so easy to mix up with ingredients you have on hand and want to use. Change up the cheeses, veggies, and protein. If you don't want it to be super heavy on the potatoes, reduce the quantity you bake. You could almost even turn this into a potato side dish.

If I make this again, I think I will definitely increase the amount of eggs - they worked as a binder and held the dish together, but I wasn't able to really taste them distinctly from any other component. Overall this was a really yummy casserole and I would definitely make it again! Happy Breakfast Casserole day!

Potato Breakfast Casserole adapted from MyRecipes

Ingredients
1 32-oz bag southern style diced hash browns (frozen)
2 cups milk
6 eggs
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 med. onion, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
2 cups diced ham

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Spread frozen potatoes on baking sheet, bake 30 minutes in the oven, turning to broil the last 5 minutes or so and tossing with a spatula to help lightly brown them.
3. Meanwhile, heat 1 TBS olive oil in a large skillet and brown the onion and bell pepper for about 5-10 minutes until they begin to color and soften. Add in the diced ham, and allow ham to brown slightly for another 10 minutes or so. Remove from heat and set aside.
4. Whisk eggs, salt, pepper, and milk together in a bowl. Set aside.
5. When potatoes are mostly cooked and lightly browned, remove from oven and slide them into a 9x13 baking dish, sprayed lightly with cooking spray.
6. Add all other ingredients and stir gently to combine with spatula or spoon.
7. Return to 350 degree oven, uncovered, for 40 minutes or until lightly browned at the edges and set in the middle. Cool about 5-10 minutes before serving.

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