Breakfast · Do-ahead · Egg based · Meat

Breakfast Strata

Another gorgeous and easy breakfast/brunch dish.

Serves 4 to 6 people

6 slices of a good dense Italian loaf cut 3/4 inch thick
1lb Sweet (or spicy) Italian sausage meat
1 tsp Dijon mustard (or less of English Colmans if you can take the heat)
1 heaped cup grated or shredded strong cheddar cheese. it’s always better if you buy it whole and mature then do it yourself
4 extra large (or large)  eggs, slightly beaten
1 1/2 cups whole milk
3/4 cup half and half
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground pepper
dash of freshly grated nutmeg
1 tsp Worcester sauce

Trim the crusts from the bread and fit it all into the bottom of a  10 by 16 inch baking pan.
Brown the sausage meat, using a fork and press down forcing the lumps to disappear until it’s crumbly and drain off any excess fat. Stir the mustard into the sausage meat.
Spoon the cooked sausage meat evenly over the bread and sprinkle evenly with the grated cheese.
Combine the remaining ingredients in a bowl (eggs, milk, half and half, salt, pepper, nutmeg and Worcester sauce) then pour the mixture over the cheese and sausage mixture.
Bake at 350F for 25 to 30 minutes until hot, bubbly and set.
Note
 This can be made the day before and kept in the refrigerator. Allow extra time for bakiong if it’s been refrigerated