Ingredients:

  • 1 lb ground pork sausage
  • 1 large yellow onion, finely diced
  • 1 red bell pepper, diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 10 large eggs, room temperature
  • 2 cups whole milk
  • 0.5 cup heavy cream
  • 1 tsp dry mustard powder
  • 0.5 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • 0.5 tsp black pepper
  • 6 cups sourdough bread, cubed into 1-inch pieces
  • 2.5 cups sharp cheddar cheese, freshly shredded
  • 0.25 cup fresh chives, finely chopped

Instructions:

  1. Place the 1 lb pork sausage in a skillet over medium high heat, breaking it up until no pink remains and it's deeply browned.
  2. Add the diced yellow onion and red bell pepper to the sausage fat. Sauté in the rendered sausage fat until translucent and slightly bronzed at the edges. Stir in the minced garlic for the final 1 minute.
  3. Toss the 6 cups of sourdough cubes into a greased 9x13 pan and sprinkle with the cooked sausage and veg.
  4. In a large bowl, beat the 10 eggs with the 2 cups milk, 0.5 cup heavy cream, mustard powder, paprika, salt, and pepper.
  5. Stir 2 cups of the cheddar directly into the egg mixture.
  6. Pour the egg mixture over the bread cubes, pressing down with a spatula until every piece is submerged. Let the dish sit for at least 30 minutes (or overnight in the fridge) until the bread has soaked up most of the liquid.
  7. Preheat your oven to 175°C (350°F) and bake for 35 minutes.
  8. Sprinkle the remaining 0.5 cup of cheese on top and bake for another 10 minutes until the top is bubbly and golden brown.