Breakfast Egg & Potato Bake

Breakfast Egg & Potato Bake

This is one of those dishes you'll make again and again, because it is easy, delicious and attractive.  Make it the night before, then bake it just before serving.  Add Sweet rolls or coffee cake, fresh fruit, and coffee for the perfect weekend or special occasion breakfast!  I made this dish for 80 people every quarter for the Membership Class Graduation at my church; and it always got rave reviews!

Serves 8

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1  1/2  cups chopped onion

1 medium green bell peppers, chopped

1 medium red bell pepper, chopped

2 cups small ham cubes, or crumbled bacon, or crumbled sausage (Optional)

10 extra-large eggs

2 pounds frozen shredded hash browns, thawed

½ pound shredded Cheddar cheese

Combine oil, peppers, and onions, season lightly with salt and pepper.  Spread on a large baking sheet in a single layer and roast in a 425-degree until they become slightly tender and slightly browned.  Remove & set aside to cool.1Break eggs into a large bowl; beat until very well combined, season with salt and pepper (about 2 T. salt and 2 teaspoons black pepper).  Add the veggies, potatoes, and meat (if using), combine thoroughly. 

Spread in 1 greased 9 X 13-inchbaking dish.  Sprinkle cheese over the top.  Cover with foil lid and refrigerate overnight.

The next morning, remove pan from refrigerator, remove foil and allow to sit at room temperature while preheating the oven to 400-degrees. 

Bake for approximately 40-60 minutes, until puffed all over and browned on top.  (If the casserole browns too quickly, cover with foil until cooked through.) 

Tempting 'Tater Salad

Tempting 'Tater Salad

This is my spin on a recipe I watched Tyler Florence prepare.  Literally more than a ton of this left the kitchen at Feast!  Mustard, garlic, green onions and redskin potatoes make this potato salad one to remember.  Great for all those summer cookouts!

3   pounds redskin potatoes

1   cup mayonnaise

2   Tablespoons Dijon mustard

2   Tablespoons grainy mustard

2    cloves garlic, finely minced

2   Tablespoons white wine vinegar

4   green onions, white and green parts, trimmed and sliced very thin

¼  cup finely chopped parsley

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Place potatoes in a pot, cover with water, add 1 Tablespoon salt and bring to a boil.  Cook until potatoes are fork tender.  Drain immediately and cool until they can be handles.  Cut into half-rounds or cubes approximately 1-inch thick.  Sprinkle generously with salt while hot and toss.

Make dressing by combining remaining ingredients until thoroughly combined.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Combine the dressing and potatoes.  Taste and adjust seasoning, as needed. (Potatoes require a lot of seasoning!  Don’t skimp on the salt or the dish will taste flat.)

Greek Lentil Soup

Greek Lentil Soup

The flavors of garlic, lemon and oregano make this soup a favorite! Red lentils, tomatoes and spinach makes for a colorful soup that beckons us to fill a bowl.  Because this soup is as healthy as it is delicious, you may want to fill it a second time!

1 1/2 cups red lentils, soaked in boiling water for 20 minutes and drained

3 T. olive oil

2 cups diced onion

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 bay leaf

1/4 cup lemon juice

6 cups vegetable broth

2 cups diced tomato

4 cups fresh spinach, chopped

Heat olive oil in a soup pot over medium-high heat.  Add the onion and saute until softened.  Add garlic and cook about 1 minute.  Add oregano and bay leaf, cook one minute more.  Add lemon juice and cook until juice is nearly evaporated.  Add broth and tomatoes, bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer 25 minutes.

Remove bay leaf.  Stir in lentils and simmer until they are tender, but not mushy.  Add the spinach and cook until wilted.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Serve.

Mustard & Herb Roasted Pork Tenderloin

Click to view a how-to video!

This was always a top choice by my catering customers, and with good reason.  Succulent, tender pork roasted slathered with a garlic, mustard and rosemary is roasted to perfection and was served with Cherry-Rhubarb Chutney on the side, or with a sauce made from the pan juices.  Both are phenomenal. There is nothing difficult about this either!  I always purchased a whole pork loin and trimmed it myself, but to save time purchase one that is already prepared, or ask your butcher to do it for you!  There will be leftovers to make Mark's Favorite Pork Tenderloin Sandwich, and maybe even enough for Hearty Summer Spinach Salad!  (Center portion serves 8)

1 whole boneless, center-cut pork loin, trimmed

 Mustard & Herb Rub

1/4 cup olive oil                           2 T. finely-minced garlic

1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard      2 teaspoons Kosher salt

1 Tablespoon finely-minced rosemary

1 teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper

1 teaspoon all-purpose seasoning (I use Trade East)

Preheat oven to 350-degrees.  Lightly grease the bottom of two heavy sheet pans or one large, shallow roasting pan. (If the sides of the pan are too high the meat will not brown nicely.)

The whole pork loin will be too long to fit on the baking sheet, so cut it in half, or take a piece off of each end, leaving the center piece intact.  (You can cut the end pieces into filets to grill or pan-roast, or cut into strips for stir-fry.  Roasting all of the loin will provide extra for other uses!)  Coat each piece of meat evenly with the Mustard & Herb Rub.  Place on baking pans and allow to stand for an hour.

(Before placing in the oven, I insert the probe of a programmable digital meat thermometer that allows me to place the probe in the meat and the thermometer has a magnet that I place on the oven door.  It sounds an alarm when the meat is done-a perfect way to insure perfect doneness. These are very inexpensive and available at most discount department stores.  If you do not have one, then use an instant read or regular meat thermometer.) 

Place meat in the preheated oven and roast to 130-degrees F.  (Check temperature after 35-40 minutes,  then every 15 minutes until temperature is reached.)  Remove from the oven and tent loosely with foil for 15 minutes and allow to rest before slicing and serving.  Enjoy!

Mark's Favorite Pork Tenderloin Sandwich

This sandwich is out of this world!  It was a favorite special and frequently requested.  This is a fabulous way to use left-over roasted pork tenderloin-it won't feel like leftovers at all!  The brioche bun is key, and Cherry-Rhubarb Chutney is what puts this sandwich head and shoulders above most!  Try it and you'll be hooked, for sure. Check out the video, too!

For each sandwich:

4 ounces Mustard & Herb Roasted Pork Loin, thinly sliced

1 Brioche bun

2-3 Tablespoons Cherry-Rhubarb Chutney

Red onion, thinly sliced

1 slice Muenster cheese

Small handful of spring greens

Spread Cherry-Rhubarb Chutney onto both sides of bun.  Place greens on the bottom bun, top with Muenster, then pork, finish with red onion.

Summer Spinach Salad with Pork Loin & Strawberries

Summer Spinach Salad with Pork Loin & Strawberries and Cherry-Rhubarb Dressing

This salad is perfect for an early summer lunch!  The recipe came about as a way to use left-over Mustard & Herb Roasted Pork Tenderloin. The Cherry-Rhubarb Chutney that accompanies the pork loin is the base of the salad dressing served with it.  Cooking once and eating 2 or 3 times makes me a happy girl!

Cherry-Rhubarb Salad Dressing

1/4 cup Cherry-Rhubarb Chutney

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

2 Tablespoons water

1 Tablespoon lemon juice

1/2 cup olive oil

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Generous pinch each of salt & black pepper

1 Tablespoon fresh chives, very thinly sliced

Combine all ingredients, except chives, in the container of a blender and blend until smooth.  Pour into bowl and stir in chives.

Spinach Salad

Per serving:

2-3 cups fresh spinach, washed, dried and chilled

8 half slices of English cucumber

1-2 very thin half-moon slices of red onion, separated

2 ounces roasted pork tenderloin, cut into strips

4 large strawberries, stemmed and cut into quarters

1 Tablespoon crumbled Blue Cheese (substitute Feta or Goat Cheese if you're not a Blue Cheese fan!)

2 Tablespoons toasted, slivered almonds

Layer all ingredients on a plate.  Serve dressing on the side.

Cherry-Rhubarb Chutney

Cherry-Rhubarb Chutney

This sweet-tart concoction has an amazing color and adds a bright, tangy note to whatever it is served with.  The perfect complement to roasted or grilled pork, it also serves as the sandwich spread on Mark's Favorite Pork Tenderloin Sandwich.  It makes a great base for a salad dressing for theSummer Spinach Salad with Pork Loin & Strawberries, too!  This keeps for several weeks in the 'fridge-if it lasts that long. When you can't get rhubarb, substitute fresh cranberries! If I have both cranberries and rhubarb, I use them both. (This is my adaptation of a recipe I discovered in Fine Cooking several years ago.)

2 cup medium-diced rhubarb

1 cup small-diced onion

1/2 cup coarsely chopped dried cherries

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup sherry vinegar

3 Tablespoons honey

1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Combine all the ingredients in a small saucepan.  Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, cover, and simmer over medium to medium-low heat until the onions are translucent and the juices are beginning to thicken, about 5-6 minutes.  Uncover and simmer, stirring frequently, until very thick, 8-10 minutes or more.  Let cool completely in the pan before using or storing in an airtight container.

Yields about 1 3/4 cup