Ham and Cheese Strata

Obviously, I am a little behind in the blogosphere.  January is always a slow month on the blog, but this year especially so.  So I am just now posting this recipe from the Christmas holidays.

I made this egg casserole for Christmas morning.  The addition of bread to the egg mixture makes this a "strata."  It gives it a lighter texture than a traditional egg casserole, such as Hash Brown Casserole or an Egg Puff Casserole.

It was delicious, and you could easily mix-and-match ingredients.  Other additions or substitutions might be:  sausage, mushrooms, onions, bell pepper, or bacon.  The recipe comes from Martha Stewart and can be found online here.

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• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, room temperature
• 10 large eggs
• 2 1/2 cups whole milk
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 loaf bread, Pullman or sandwich style, cut into 1-inch pieces (recommend something like Pepperidge Farm white sandwich bread)
• 1 pound boiled or baked deli ham, chopped
• 5 scallions, chopped (1/2 cup)
• 8 ounces sharp cheddar, shredded

1. Butter a 2 1/2- to 3-quart baking dish. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, mustard, paprika, and salt.
2. Place half of the bread in the bottom of a baking dish. Top with half each of the ham, scallions, and cheese. Repeat with a second layer of the remaining ham, scallions, and cheese.  You will have to press it down to make it fit in pan.
3. Carefully pour the egg mixture over into the bread. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
4. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Pull strata out of fridge and let come to room temperature for 15 minutes. Bake the strata, uncovered, until puffed and lightly golden brown, about 1 hour to 1 hour and 20 minutes. Let rest for 5 minutes before serving.