Lumberjack Brunch Food

LUMBERJACK BREAKFAST CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Brush an 8-inch square baking dish with oil.
• Bake the waffles on a baking sheet until lightly golden and slightly crunchy, 10 to 12 minutes. Cut each waffle in half.
• Fill a small pot with the sliced potatoes, a large pinch of salt and enough cold water to cover the potatoes by 1 inch. Bring to a boil. Once the water starts simmering, cook the potatoes until tender, about 2 minutes. Strain the potatoes, and transfer to a large bowl.
• Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the peppers, scallion whites and garlic, and cook, stirring frequently, until the peppers are just tender and browned in some spots, 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer to the bowl with the potatoes, add 1 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper and toss to combine. Transfer to the prepared baking dish, press into a flat layer and sprinkle half the Cheddar over the top.
• Whisk together the milk, eggs, 1 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of black pepper in a medium bowl.
• Layer the sausage, cut-side up, on top of the potato-pepper mixture. Shingle the toasted waffle halves, in two rows, on top. Pour the custard down one side of the casserole dish (it won't cover the waffles). Sprinkle the remaining Cheddar over the top, cover loosely with foil and bake until the Cheddar has melted, the custard is set, the potatoes are tender and the sausage is cooked through, about 40 minutes. Uncover, let rest for a few minutes and sprinkle the scallion greens over the top.

LUMBERJACK BRUNCH

Steps:

• For the waffles: Put the butter in a small saucepan and cook over medium heat until deep golden brown. Transfer to a small bowl and let cool for 5 minutes.
• In a large bowl, mix together the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt until combined.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the yolks until smooth. Add the whole milk, buttermilk and vanilla extract to the yolks and whisk until combined.
• In another medium bowl, whisk the whites until soft peaks form.
• Add the yolk mixture to the dry mixture, and fold in the brown butter until just combined. Some lumps in the batter are fine. Fold in the egg whites. Allow the batter to rest for 1 hour if time allows.
• Heat a waffle iron to high. Spray nonstick cooking spray on both sides of the iron. Ladle a level amount of batter into the waffle iron. Sprinkle blueberries on top of the batter in the waffle iron (see Cook's Note). Close the lid and cook until golden brown, about 7 minutes. Do not open the waffle iron until done. Repeat until all the batter and blueberries are used.
• For the bacon: Cook the bacon in batches in a cast-iron skillet over medium heat until crispy, 3 minutes. Flip and cook for another 3 minutes until caramelized and crispy.
• Meanwhile, whisk together the maple syrup, mustard and black pepper in a small bowl.
• Transfer the bacon to a baking rack. Liberally brush the top of the bacon with the maple syrup mixture and let sit for 8 minutes, if time allows; the bacon will really crisp as it cools.
• For the eggs: Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a nonstick sauté pan over medium-high heat. Carefully crack three eggs into the pan, season with salt and pepper and reduce the heat to medium. Cover the skillet with a lid for 1 to 2 minutes to "baste"; the yolk should still be runny. Remove from the pan and set aside.
• Repeat the process using the remaining butter and eggs.
• For the chorizo sausage: Heat the oil in a cast-iron skillet over high heat until smoking. Add the chorizo and cook until golden brown and just cooked through, about 3 minutes per side.
• Remove to a paper towel-lined plate and season with salt and pepper.
• To serve: Top each waffle with an egg, some of the bacon and sausage. Serve with ricotta and blueberry preserves and drizzle with maple syrup, if desired.