New Year's Day Brunch... 2017

     This is usually the way it goes...
     Two, maybe three, or even four months before New Years Day, I start thinking about the brunch menu.  I piece together the different courses, in my head, of what I'm going to prepare for the first day of the new year.  I'm confident about all of the details, so... I stop thinking about it.  That, however, never seems to be the New Year's Day brunch menu I end up preparing.  At the last minute I usually change everything.

     I hosted a time consuming luncheon plus a dinner the week between Christmas and New Years...  I ended up taking a more relaxed approach to my brunch.  Below are photos of New Year's Day and the recipe for our main course.

     Bisous taking a break while the rest of us are eating our meal...

Smoked Salmon + Potato Breakfast Casserole

• an adapted recipe, Bon Appétit | December 2002
+ Double the ingredients below to serve 12-16 people, as I did

• 2 cups (lightly packed) 1/2-inch cubes of French baguette with crusts
• 2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter + 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 pound russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1/2 cup finely chopped shallots
• 1/2 pound hot-smoked salmon fillets, skinned and flaked into bite-size pieces
• 3 tablespoons minced fresh chives
• 2 teaspoons minced fresh dill
• 4 large eggs
• 1 cup half and half
• 3 tablespoons sour cream
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• Additional sour cream
• Capers
• Fresh dill sprigs
1.  Preheat oven to 400˚F.  Arrange bread on a rimmed baking sheet.  Bake until pale golden, about 5 minutes.  Remove from oven and set aside.  Reduce oven temperature to 375˚F.
2.  Butter a baking dish.  On a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet, toss the potato cubes with the 2 T. butter and 2 T. olive oil.  Roast, stirring often, until potatoes are golden and tender when pierced.  Add the shallots and continue to roast a few more minutes, stirring often until soft.  Remove from oven.  In a large bowl gently combine potatoes with the bread, salmon, chives, and minced dill.  Transfer mixture to prepared dish.
3.  Whisk together the eggs and next 5 ingredients in a medium bowl and blend well.  Pour custard over the ingredients in baking dish.  Let stand 15 minutes, occasionally pressing bread into custard.  Can also be made 1 day ahead.  Cover and chill.  Let stand at room temperature 30 minutes before baking. 
4.  Preheat oven to 350˚F.  Bake the casserole, uncovered, until the custard is set, about 30 minutes.  Serve with additional sour cream, capers and dill sprigs.  Serve hot.

     Bisous' first New Year's Day brunch... and he was wiped after hosting family and friends.

Until next year...

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