Secrets of Great Second Meals

The Strata

You must get up early if you want to make brunch from scratch. That is, unless you have knocked some ingredients into a baking dish the night before. If so, you can pop into the kitchen to stick the casserole in the oven. Then, if you care to, take a catnap on the sofa while the eggs puff and the cheese melts and the sage and sausage scent floats through the air. Just make sure to set a timer.

Extra ingredients: roasted winter squash, cooked Italian sausage, bread

Time: 2 hours 15 minutes, though the strata can soak for longer before cooking (15 minutes active)

Makes 8 to 10 servings

1 tablespoon sausage cooking fat or soft butter, plus a bit more for greasing the baking dish

1 large onion, finely chopped

12 sage leaves, cut into ribbons

1 teaspoon fine sea salt

¼ teaspoon Aleppo pepper

6 ounces cooked Italian sausage, crumbled (about 1 cup or 2 sausages)

2 cups roasted winter squash, in 1-inch cubes, or, if using delicata squash, in ½-inch slices

8 ounces (about 5 cups) day-old whole-grain bread, torn in irregular pieces (I like our local Tall Grass Bakery hominy bread, which is pretty and yellowy, but I have also used multigrain bread)

3½ cups whole milk

1½ cups heavy cream

5 large eggs

1 ounce Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated (about ¾ cup if grated with a Microplane)

A few gratings of nutmeg

Pinch of freshly ground black pepper

6 ounces Gruyère cheese, grated (about ¾ cup)

Salad greens, to serve

1. Grease a 9 × 13-inch baking dish (or another baking dish of similar size) with sausage cooking fat.

2. In a large skillet, heat the sausage fat over medium heat. Add the onion, sage, and ¼ teaspoon of the salt and the Aleppo pepper. Cook until the onion is softened and translucent, 7 to 8 minutes. Add the sausage, stir, and let it warm through, about 1 minute.

3. In a large bowl, combine the sausage mixture, squash, and bread cubes. Spread the mixture evenly in the prepared baking dish.

4. In a large bowl, whisk the milk, cream, and eggs until blended. Add the Parmigiano, remaining ¾ teaspoon salt, nutmeg, and black pepper. Blend well.

5. Pour the egg mixture over the bread mixture in the baking dish, pressing the bread chunks down into the liquid to moisten them thoroughly. Top with the Gruyère and let sit at room temperature for at least 1 hour. (Stopping point! You can cover and refrigerate the strata mix now and go to bed. An overnight soak makes the bread even more tender and sumptuous.)

6. When you’re ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350°F. Bake until golden and puffed, about 50 to 60 minutes.

7. Let cool a bit and slice into rectangular portions; serve with a crisp green salad.

VARIATIONS

Make a roasted tomato and basil strata. Sub roasted tomatoes for the squash (mix any roasting juices into the egg mixture), skip the sage, and add slivered basil to the mixture just before cooking. Stick with Gruyère or swap it out for crumbled feta.
Make a dark green strata. Swap braised greens such as chard, spinach, or kale for the squash; squeeze them well before mixing into the bread mixture, and skip the sausage altogether. Top the strata with an aged chèvre, such as Crottin de Chavignol.