Tasty Potato & Egg Casserole

This is brunch built for a hungry table. Thinly sliced potatoes get pan-fried in bacon drippings until the edges go crisp and golden, then layered into a casserole dish with grated American cheese. Whole eggs get cracked right on top, blanketed with evaporated milk, and the whole thing bakes just long enough to set the whites while the yolks stay glossy.

Bacon fat is doing the flavor work here, you cannot replace it with butter and get the same result. If you do not have a jar in the fridge, fry off 4 strips of bacon and use the rendered fat. The bacon itself is a bonus on the side.

A pinch of nutmeg in the potatoes is the kind of detail that quietly makes the whole dish. It plays off the cream and cheese the way it does in a gratin, adding warmth without announcing itself.

Bake just until the whites are opaque, around 15 to 18 minutes. Pull it any later and the yolks tighten up. The whole point of this dish is breaking a runny yolk through cheesy potatoes.

Kitchen Tips

• Slice potatoes thin, around ⅛ inch. A mandoline gives you even slices that cook through in the pan-fry stage.
• Make small wells in the potatoes with the back of a spoon before cracking the eggs. The yolks stay anchored and bake more evenly.
• Evaporated milk, not regular milk, is what the recipe calls for. It is more concentrated and richer, closer to half-and-half. Do not dilute it.
• Watch the eggs through the oven door. The instant whites turn opaque, pull the dish.

Variations

• Stir a handful of chopped scallions or chives into the potatoes before baking.
• Use sharp cheddar or Gruyère instead of American cheese for a sharper finish.
• Add a layer of cooked, crumbled bacon between the potatoes and cheese for a fully loaded version.