Ham and Potato Egg Bake

It is still October like weather here in Southwest Michigan even though the calendar says it is early July. The high today was low 60s and overnight it was in the high 40s. Ick. Lake Michigan temps are still in the 50s. It has not been warm enough, long enough to get the water warm. So, no real swimming. Some wading and my son ventures out aways on his boogie board but doesn’t stay in for hours like he normally would. So, we are still eating comforting casseroles and skillet dinners to keep us warm.

We recently received 2 dozen farm fresh eggs from a friend. They were beautiful. From blue-green to brown they looked like they had been dyed with natural colorings. I have been listening to everyone rave about how farm fresh eggs really are different from store eggs. They shells are thicker, the colors are amazing and the yolks are brighter and larger. All were true.

We ate them in scrambled eggs and still had some leftover so decided to try them in an egg bake to see if we could notice a difference.

Verdict:

We loved this dish. Breakfast for dinner is one of our favorite easy go-to dishes when time is tight. This one was mixed together quickly and then it just baked while I finished other things around the house.

This is a solid hearty meal that I served with a berry fruit salad.

This is a gluten-free meal so that my mostly gluten-free son could easily have this for dinner.

Ingredients:

• 24 oz frozen shredded potatoes
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 tsp Morton Nature’s Seasoning
• salt and pepper
• 12 eggs
• 2 cups half and half
• 1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese, grated
• 1 1/2 cups pepper jack cheese, grated
• 2 cups chopped ham

Directions:

1. Spray a 9×13 pan with non-stick cooking spray and preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Pour the frozen potatoes into the bottom of the pan. Shake a little salt and pepper over the top.
3. In a large bowl whisk the eggs until well blended. Add the half and half, season salt, cheeses and ham and stir to mix it all together.
4. Pour it over the top of the potatoes. Cover with foil and refrigerate if you are baking later. Uncover before baking.
5. If you are immediately baking the dish bake for 75-90 minutes uncovered.
6. Remove from the oven and let it sit for about 5 minutes before serving. This will help the pieces hold shape.