Mike loves America's Test Kitchen since they test all their recipes. Here's their version of a sausage and cheese strata.
Breakfast Casserole with Italian Sausage and Fontina
Serves 8 to 10
You can find unsliced loaves of Italian bread in the bakery section of your supermarket. Frank’s RedHot is the test kitchen’s top-rated hot sauce. If using a spicier sauce such as Tabasco, reduce amount to 1½ teaspoons.
1 (14-inch) loaf Italian bread, ends trimmed
1 pound hot or sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
1 small onion, chopped fine
3 cups shredded Fontina cheese
12 large eggs, lightly beaten
¼ cup chopped fresh basil
4 cups whole milk
1 ½ teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon hot sauce (see note)
1. TOAST BREAD Adjust oven racks to upper-middle and lower-middle positions and heat oven to 400 degrees. Slice bread in half lengthwise, then slice each half crosswise into ½-inch-thick pieces. Spread bread in single layers on 2 rimmed baking sheets and bake until golden, 15 to 20 minutes, flipping bread and switching and rotating sheets halfway through. Let cool 15 minutes.
2. BROWN SAUSAGE Cook sausage in large skillet over medium heat until no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Add onion and cook until golden, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and add 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil to sausage mixture.
3. ASSEMBLE CASSEROLE Grease 13- by 9-inch baking dish. Shingle half of bread in prepared pan so that edges overlap slightly. Top with half of sausage mixture and 1 cup cheese. Repeat with remaining bread, remaining sausage mixture, and remaining cheese.
4. SOAK AND WEIGHT Whisk eggs, milk, salt, pepper, and hot sauce in large bowl. Pour evenly over casserole. Wrap casserole with plastic, place a smaller casserole on top and fill with canned goods to weight it down. You can also use boxes of broth or sugar. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 24.
5. BAKE CASSEROLE Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Let casserole stand at room temperature while oven is heating. Remove weights, unwrap casserole, and bake until the edges and center have puffed and top is golden brown, about 1 hour. Let cool 10 minutes. Serve.
For a festive brunch, serve this with Amista Sparkling Syrah. Anything with sausage makes a wonderful wonderful pairing with this bubbly.
