This post is sponsored by Smithfield Ham: provider of deliciously sweet glazed hams for all your springy Easter ham needs. Oh, yes. More on that in just a minute.
Raise your hand if you love egg bakes!
Wait, though, are egg bakes still a thing? Were they ever a thing? To me, they are the epitome of spring brunches, bridal and baby showers, and special occasion or holiday family meals taking place anytime before 1pm, but is that just a Minnesota thing? Sometimes I need help understanding myself.
I loooove a good egg bake and I’m only about a 3 out of 10 in terms of liking eggs in general. There is just so much to love about egg bakes that goes way beyond ze eggs. I mean, think about it: you whisk those eggys right up with milk and seasoning – you pour those eggys right over some delicious things like bread, vegetables, potatoes, meat, and cheese – you bake it to firm, flavorful, breakfasty perfection – and then you eat those eggys right up with everything else good and wonderful in there. It makes for a quick one-dish brunch and some awesome leftovers for breakfast on the go. Hot, cold, doesn’t even matter. This is gon’be good.
When I think of Easter food (because I think Easter is, like, THIS MONTH?!), I have this memory of my mom making a special drive to “the cities” around Easter time to pick up her favorite ham. It was our very own real-life version of Christmas with the Kranks and the hickory honey ham – we had this one type of ham that we would always get and it was just so so so good. It had a sweet glaze and it was addicting. Yes, I mean that. Ham –> addictive.
Even if you never thought in a million years that ham would be one of your most favoritist foods, you’d try this sweet once-a-year Easter ham and you’d change your mind. Plus, paired with the massive pan of cornflake-topped cheesy potatoes? Good luck saying no to that, friends. Goooood luck.
This year I am trying a new brand of ham. It’s called Smithfield, and the good news all around is that it is possibly even better than the ham I remember eating as a kid sitting at the Easter table. It has that same sweet glaze, and it was so easy to make. I mean, it’s already cooked and spiral cut, so you put it in a big roasting pan, let it get all juicy and delicious in the oven for a while, and then top it with some sweet glaze when it’s hot and yummy. OK YES. I was nibbling on little ham bits all morning like a ham-loving weirdo.
The ham I made was huge, so with just the two of us and no real Easter celebration yet, we had like 80 pounds left over. So first, I brought some leftovers to my friend’s family. Her husband said: best ham he’s ever had. And then I took the rest of my best-ever ham leftovers and made a good ol’ Minnesota style egg bake, because what else?
Well, actually, there are lots of ideas (roasted veggie and ham soup? pasta with cream sauce and peas? cheesy ham panini?) but this was the one that I just couldn’t let out of my mind.
And in a nice little twist of fate, it’s still early in the A-M as I’m writing this, and I am envisioning two small containers of leftover ham and sausage hashbrown egg bake in the fridge, second shelf, front and center.
Hey guys? I think I need to get going now.
Ham and Sausage Hashbrown Egg Bake
Total Time: 55 minutes
Yield: 6 1x
Description
This Ham and Sausage Hash Brown Egg Bake is a perfect brunch dish and it comes together in a snap with just a few ingredients.
Ingredients
Scale
- 4 ounces ground spicy Italian sausage
- 2 cups chopped Smithfield ham
- 4 eggs
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1/2 teaspoon seasoning of your choice – I used Emeril’s Original Essence
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 lb. shredded potatoes (I used a package of refrigerated hashbrowns)
- 1/2 cup shredded cheese
- green onions for topping
Instructions
- Brown the sausage in a small skillet until no longer pink. Add the ham and saute together until warm. Meanwhile, whisk the eggs, milk, seasoning, and garlic powder together.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a small greased baking dish (mine was about 8 inches long by 4 inches wide), arrange the hashbrowns in a layer in the bottom of the pan. Pour 2/3 of the egg mixture over the hashbrowns. Cover with 1/4 cup shredded cheese, the meat mixture, and then the remaining egg mixture. Top with the last 1/4 cup shredded cheese and cover loosely with greased foil.
- Bake for 30 minutes or until the egg mixture is firm and the cheese is melted. You can remove the foil for the last few minutes of baking to get your cheese extra browned and bubbly. Let stand for 5-10 minutes, sprinkle with green onions, and cut or scoop to serve.
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 45 mins
- Category: Breakfast
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: hashbrown egg bake, egg bake, ham egg bake
This post is sponsored by Smithfield Ham.