Kate's Kitchen Kapers, Kontinued

I haven't done a cooking blog in a while, so here we go.

Today is just the right sort of day. There is a storm coming, and the wind is howling under the eaves. I get a "meal off" from my diet, and my soul craves comfort food. And cookies. I went and actually bought chocolate chip cookies, cuz I won't have time to do any baking until the weekend. For my meal off, I can have alcohol (yay), dessert (yay) and forbidden foods like CHEESE! BUTTER! FROZEN HASH BROWNS! EGG YOLKS! and (reverently) KETCHUP.

Let's make Rosti Casserole with baked eggs. I would put an umlaut over the "o", but I don't know how to do that in Blogger. There is one though, so I guess we have to pronounce this like "rusty". Rusty Casserole. Here's a not-very-good picture.

Simon wanted to know if this was breakfast-for-dinner, an American phenomenon that he finds slovenly, somehow. Nah, I told him. It has turnips in it! That mollified him - the British love all those musty root vegetables.

And the ingredients:

1 1/4 C low-fat Greek-style yoghurt

2 T flour (I used whole wheat)

1 1/2 C grated turnip (about 8 oz.)

1 1/4 C shredded Gruyere cheese (about 5 oz.) (mea culpa)

1/3 C butter, melted (mea culpa)

1/4 C chopped fresh chives

1/1/4 t salt

1/2 t pepper

1/4 t nutmeg

1 (30 oz.) package frozen shredded hash brown potatoes

cooking spray

8 lg. eggs

First of all, this recipe is a real grate-o-rama. Grate the cheese, grate the turnip. At least the potatoes are already grated. Check out my left-handed grating technique. This allows me to grate the turnip in one hand and the cheese in the other, simultaneously, balancing the graters against my wrists. Wouldn't you like to see me do that? Sorry! Too hard to photograph.

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Combine yoghurt and flour in a large bowl, stirring well.


Add turnip, Gruyere cheese, butter, chives, 1 1/4 t salt, pepper, nutmeg and potatoes to yoghurt mixture.

Spread potato mixture evenly into a 9x13 inch baking dish coated in cooking spray.

Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes or until bubbly. Remove from oven. With the back of a spoon, make 8 indentations in the top of the potato mixture. Crack one egg into each indentation. Think to yourself that is looks sort of ...gross...viscous...

Return dish to the oven. Bake at 400 degrees for 8 minutes or until the yolks are almost firm.
This was very popular with me and the kids. It is tasty on its own, or as a ketchup transportation device. Everyone likes turnips in my family, but if your family doesn't like turnips, don't worry. You can't taste them at all. Hidden nutrition! Simon was not so enthusiastic. He wouldn't eat the egg yolks, cause he's "watching his cholesterol" (addictions to commercial baked goods, shrimp, butter, cheese, etc..notwithstanding...), and he had a little trouble deciding whether to open a bottle of white or red.

I would say...7 out of 10. Bonus points for being vegetarian (though obviously not vegan). Additional bonus point for just being different. Serve with green salad.