Cake, Batter, and Bowl

Egg and Potato Squares with Gruyere, Asparagus, and Mushrooms

Brunch Dishes

Happy New Year! Did anyone else make any foodie resolutions? My goal last year was to get my blog up and running, and I remember spending the first few weekends in January designing the header and side bars for my little site. This year I just want to continue challenging myself in the kitchen and would like to cook at least one new recipe a week. I made a lot of progress in this area last year – I roasted my first chicken, played with royal icing and fondant, and conquered my fear of yeast. But, I have an ever-growing list of foods to master! I want to finally learn how to cook all the different cuts of meat, conquer pasta, and make my favorite Indian dish, saag paneer (if anyone has an Indian cookbook recommendation, please let me know!). Oh, and I’m hoping to convince my family to let me host Thanksgiving! I could go on and on… I spent part of today organizing and prioritizing the long list of recipes I’ve saved from around the blogosphere and my cookbooks, and I’m already looking forward to getting in the kitchen! Things definitely started out on the right track because I braised lamb for the first time last night and it turned out perfectly! I also wanted to make something special for our first 2010 breakfast.

I was inspired by Elly’s delicious moussaka a few months ago and really liked how the potatoes were fried first and then served as the base of the dish.  So, I decided potatoes needed to be used in this way in a breakfast casserole. I topped the potatoes with shredded gruyere, mushrooms, and asparagus, and then poured an egg mixture on top – so good! I made enough for an 8 inch square pan, but the recipe can easily be doubled for a 13×9 if you’re having company. You can also fry up the potatoes and cook the veggies the night before so all you have to do in the morning is whip up the eggs! Yay for 2010!

Egg and Potato Squares with Gruyere, Asparagus, and Mushrooms
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large baking potato, peeled and sliced lengthwise
1 cup shredded gruyere cheese
2 cups sliced mushrooms (8 ounces)
1 cup sliced asparagus (4 ounces)
4 large eggs
3/4 cup milk
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350˚F. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat and pan-fry the potatoes on both sides until they are light golden brown. Place the fried potatoes slices evenly in the bottom of a greased 8×8-inch baking dish. Sprinkle gruyere cheese evenly on top.

Heat 1/2 tablespoon olive oil in the same skillet and sauté mushrooms for 5 to 7 minutes until tender. Repeat with remaining 1/2 tablespoon olive oil and asparagus. Evenly top gruyere cheese with the veggies.

Whisk eggs, milk, flour, and salt together in a large bowl. Pour over the veggies. Bake at 350˚F for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cut into squares. Makes 4 servings.

Nutrition: 355 calories, 21.7g fat, 2.8g fiber, 19.6g protein per serving
Cost: $1.68 per serving

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