Food.com
Alea Milham says, "As I was getting ready to make my breakfast casserole, I suddenly had the impulse to make it healthier by adding vegetables. I asked my kids what vegetable they though I should add and my oldest son replied "Bacon!" My son't transcripts from college indicated that he is quite bright, so I am pretty sure he knows bacon isn't a vegetable. I think bacon is just his default answer to most questions. I have discovered that if you ask male college students what you should add to any recipe the most common answer is bacon. Don't believe me? Try it for yourself. Bacon is more expensive per pound than most of the meat I buy, so when it goes on sale I stock ip and freeze it for later use. I also cook up a batch and crumble it and use it sparingly in recipes to add flavor rather than using it as a side dish. Whether you make the hashbrowns from scratch or use frozen hashbrowns that have thawed, be sure to squeeze out all of the excess liquid. Removing the excess liquid is essential to prevent the casserole from becoming runny. You can make this with whatever meat you have on hand. I usually make my hashbrown casserole with ham, but sausage works well too. And a combination of both ham and sausage is always a hit. No matter what meat you use, cut it into very small pieces. This allows you to get a nice meaty flavor throughout the casserole while using as much meat of other casseroles."
