Happy Friday! Looking for a delicious brunch dish for the weekend? Well, look no further. This little breakfast casserole soaks overnight and then gets popped in the oven in the morning, about an hour before you’re ready to eat. So, while it takes some prep the night before, it’s worth the stress-free morning.

If you’ve made a strata once, you know that you can throw just about anything into it and it will be delicious. This recipe is a Meg & Heather original – we like the traditional pairing of leeks and potatoes with a boost of veggie sausage. We’ve also done it with roasted summer squash, peppers, and onions. Really, anything goes – just start with 8 eggs, 2 cups of milk, a loaf of stale bread, and then improvise. Here goes!

Potato Leek Sausage Strata – makes a 9×13 inch pan

Ingredients:

• 3 medium red potatoes with skins, chopped
• 3 leaks, washed and sliced
• 3 veggie sausages, chopped
• 2-3 Tbs olive oil, divided
• seasonings of choice (see below)
• salt and pepper
• 1/2 loaf of stale, crusty bread
• 8 eggs
• 2 cups of milk (we used almond)
• 1 cup feta cheese

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 400F.
2. Mix potatoes, 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil and seasoning of choice. We used some Penzeys Northwoods seasoning and thyme. Place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment or aluminum foil and bake for about 30-40 minutes, stirring and rotating the potatoes a few times throughout. 
3. Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Sauté leeks with a bit of salt and pepper until translucent. Then add the chopped sausage and cook until browned, about 5-7 minutes.
4. Layer 9×13 inch pan with slices of stale bread. (You can substitute toasted fresh bread, if you’d like. The staler/crispier the bread, the more it soaks up the liquids.) Then layer sausage, leeks, and potatoes.
5. Combine eggs, milk, and additional seasoning. We used Penzeys Mural of Seasonings, which is a salt-free mix of mostly Italian seasonings. Pour over the top, tightly cover with saran wrap, and refrigerate for at least 3 hours, preferably overnight.
6. Preheat oven to 350F and sprinkle feta cheese over the top of the casserole. Bake for about 55 minutes – 1 hour or until toothpick comes out clean.

This time around, we actually made this for dinner. It was in the fridge by 12noon and in the oven by 6pm. Worked like a charm!

Enjoy!