Hashbrown Breakfast Casserole

I love breakfast casseroles. I like the fact they are prepared ahead, and just popped into the oven. I have grown kids who have a tendency to still come and visit the old man and expect me to cook/bake for them, which I admittedly willingly do. And always one breakfast is my morning casserole.

I mess around with the ingredients from time to time, but generally stick close to the following.

One note however, and an important one. The base ingredient in my casserole is either hash browns or bread, either one. I like the hash brown one because a little ketchup on the side is ideal for the potatoes, but I must say my personal favorite is with the bread substituted for the hash browns. It's crunchier and absorbs the egg a bit better I think, and comes out fluffier, but YOU decide what's right for you.

1 pound of sausage. You can use any type but I, for some reason prefer the frozen pre-cooked links, especially the maple flavored.

2 tbl butter

2 shallots You can use onions but I think they tend to overpower the eggs.

1 large package of frozen hash browns.

1 package Jiffy muffin mix

6 eggs

1/2 cup sour cream

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1 1/2 cups of milk

1 bunch green onions

1 tsp dried mustard

salt and pepper to taste.

Put sausage links into saucepan and saute until brown on all sides.....you need to constantly break up the pieces until they are smaller and smaller.... (If you're using bulk sausage, the same principle applies, just don't overcook the sausage....you want to saute until the "pink" just disappears)

Mince shallots and add butter to the sausage in the saucepan. Add shallots and hashbrowns to pan and lightly saute until shallots are translucent and the hashbrowns just begin to brown.

Spoon into a lightly greased 13 x 9 casserole dish.

In a bowl, beat eggs, and then add mustard, and sour cream and milk and mix well. When well mixed, beat in Jiffy mix.

Pour contents evenly over the hashbrowns, sausage, onion mix.

Slice thinly or cut the green onion all over the mixture.

Cover with cheddar cheese, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes to an hour covered with tinfoil..... remove tinfoil and bake an additional 15 - 20 minutes until browned.

Let sit for 15 minutes and served immediately.

Freezes well.

Enjoy!

Note: Obviously, if you are using bread instead of hashbrowns, you don't saute the bread. Just saute the shallots and sausage. You should tear up into one inch size pieces about 10 slices of bread or 1 baguette. Just break into pieces and layer in the baking dish.