Frittastic Frittata

As we make our way through the bleak doldrums of winter between the long MLK weekend and the President's Day weekend in February, it's nice to make every weekend feel special with delicious meals at home. For special occasions, my mother-in-law sometimes makes this incredible Sausage Frittata/Egg Casserole that she found on Epicurious. It is in no way a "health food", but it's so rich and filling, that a little goes a long way.

The original recipe calls for sun-dried tomatoes, which I usually leave out, but feel free to sub in any veggies that sound good to you- it would be amazing with mushrooms, bell peppers or zucchini thrown in.

Serve it with a fruit salad and sourdough toast for brunch, or with a mixed greens salad for dinner. Or, since it's so easy to reheat leftovers and tastes just as good the second time around, have it for both!
(Serves 8)
You will need:
1 lb sweet sausage, with the casings removed
1/2 cup chopped shallots
2 garlic cloves
4 tablespoons chopped parsley
5 large eggs + 3 large egg yolks
1 cup half and half
1 cup whipping cream
2 cups grated mozzarella
1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 375°F. Grease a 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish with butter or cooking spray. Sauté sausage in a medium nonstick skillet over medium heat until brown and cooked through, breaking up with back of fork into small pieces, about 10 minutes.

Add shallots and garlic to pan and sauté 3 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons parsley; stir 1 minute. Spread sausage mixture in the bottom of prepared dish. (All of this can be done up to 1 day ahead. Just cover and refrigerate until you are ready to finish cooking.)

Whisk eggs, egg yolks, half and half, whipping cream, 1 1/2 cups cheese, and salt in large bowl to blend well. Pour egg mixture over sausage mixture in dish. Sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup cheese and 2 tablespoons parsley over. Bake until top of casserole is golden brown and knife inserted into center comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving. Serve, then die and go to heaven.