We met Hope D when she moved to Pennsylvania in 1998. While she only lived here for about six months, it was enough for us to become life-long friends.
Hope and her husband, Joel, and daughter, Payton, recently came east from Phoenix to tour colleges. It was Hope’s first time in the Philadelphia area in 25 years. They had a busy schedule touring schools in New York and Pennsylvania and ended their east coast stay with an extended brunch at our house. Back in 1998, we bonded over a love of food, so I was thrilled to be able to cook for them and catch up on all that they had done during their east coast travels.
It is an established fact that I love potatoes – would you believe that I’ve never made a hash brown egg casserole? The hash browns make a great base and especially if you’re avoiding gluten. This is a very adaptable recipe. You could use bacon, crumbled sausage or diced prosciutto in place of the pancetta, an assortment of vegetables in place of the red pepper, and cheddar or gouda in place of the Gruyère.
I made the pancetta, red pepper, garlic and rosemary mixture the night before and refrigerated it once it was cooled. This allowed for an easy assembly the following morning. To ensure that your casserole doesn’t get soggy, bake the frozen hash browns in the prepared pan for 10 minutes before assembling. This will cook off some of the water from the hash browns. I do not recommend assembling the full casserole the night before (to avoid soggy potatoes).
I served this casserole with Goat Cheese, Fig and Herb Quick Bread (pictured below) and a simple arugula salad dressed with Peggy’s Vinaigrette. Ed was surprised that I made dessert for brunch, but it’s clearly not everyday that Hope, Joel and Payton come to town. This occasion called for some Lavender-Lemon Shortbread.
We loved hearing from Payton about what she wants to study in college and are hopeful that she decides to come east so we get to see more of her and her parents.
| Pancetta and Gruyère Breakfast Casserole | Print |
- ¾ pound (12 ounces) frozen shredded hash browns
- 8 ounces diced pancetta
- 1 teaspoon olive oil (divided)
- 1 red pepper, diced
- 3 medium cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon finely minced fresh rosemary
- 7 large eggs
- ¾ cup half and half
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1-1/2 cups shredded Gruyère cheese (preferably medium)
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 9-inch square baking pan (ceramic, glass or metal) with olive oil spray.
- Place hash browns in the baking pan and cook for 10 minutes. This is to eliminate some of the water from the potatoes so the casserole isn’t soggy.
- In a medium non-stick pan, heat ½ teaspoon olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the pancetta and cook until lightly browned, about 4 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Transfer pancetta to a paper towel lined plate.
- Add remaining ½ teaspoon olive oil to the pan. Cook red pepper over medium heat until soft, about 4 to 5 minutes. Add garlic and rosemary to the pan and stir. Cook for 1 minute. Remove from heat.
- Add pancetta to the pan and stir. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, half and half, Kosher salt and black pepper.
- Carefully stir the pancetta mixture into the partially cooked hash browns and spread into an even layer. Top with half of the cheese and pour the egg mixture on top. Ensure that the hash brown mixture is submerged. Top with remaining cheese.
- Bake, uncovered, until the eggs are set and the casserole is lightly browned at the edges, 45 to 50 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and cool for 10 minutes.
- Cut into six rectangles and serve.
* I used Alexia Yukon Select Hashed Browns.
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