Diner Breakfast Egg Bake

Inspired by a classic breakfast combo of tender potatoes, savory sausage, and eggs, this casserole is a crowd-pleasing, throw-it-together dish you should make year-round. It’s a welcome way to celebrate with holiday guests and a great hands-free addition to your breakfast repertoire (although no one says you can only eat it for breakfast). 

Buttery gold potatoes and two types of onions get tossed with paprika and onion powder to mimic the flavors of chunky home fries. Baked with breakfast sausage, they soak up the salty, meaty flavor of the rendered fat before getting doused in a creamy mixture of eggs and sour cream. It’s the perfect breakfast bite in, well, every bite. 

But you’ve got options. What’s best about this casserole is that you can make it work for you depending on what you have on hand or what you have access to at your local supermarket. I like the velvety texture of gold potatoes, but you can certainly use Russets or even sweet potatoes, if that’s what you prefer. Sweet potatoes tend to cook a bit faster than their starchier cousins, though, so set a timer a little shy of the suggested range and keep an eye on them. 

If you can find it, opt for bulk breakfast sausage in this recipe. Look for it at the meat counter with other freshly-ground sausages or by the bacon (usually near the eggs). You can use breakfast sausage links or patties — just remove any casings if necessary before crumbling the sausage over the potatoes and onions. And feel free to use turkey breakfast sausage or skip the meat altogether for a vegetarian version. If you do choose to go meatless, I’d suggest adding a cup of grated cheese — cheddar, Jack, any good melter — to the egg mixture before baking for a little extra oomph (read: fat and flavor). 

Sour cream adds richness to the egg base and keeps them from getting bouncy and overcooked, but you can use full-fat Greek yogurt in its place if you have it. Truthfully, you could use just about any full-fat dairy you have around — heavy cream, whole milk, even half-and-half will work in place of the sour cream if that’s going to save you a trip to the market. 

This casserole is great for breakfast, of course, served warm with (or between!) buttered toast or a perfectly golden English muffin. But cold leftovers are equally delicious cut into squares for a grab-and-go mid-morning snack or lunch. You could even cube up leftovers, crisp them up in a skillet, and toss them with greens for a protein-packed crouton of sorts. And that’s the idea behind this casserole: It’s easy to make, easy to adapt, and very easy to love.