MAPLE SAUSAGE AND WAFFLE BREAKFAST CASSEROLE

MAPLE SAUSAGE AND WAFFLE BREAKFAST CASSEROLE
from The Best Of America's Top Kitchen

The recipe is very good, not greasy or heavy. In fact, it tasted less rich than the strata recipes I've made that use lots of cream and high fat cheese. Warning! This dish was very popular. You might need to double it and cook it in a 9 X 13 inch pan, to avoid fights.
Note: After their typical exhaustive research, Cooks

determined that Eggo Home style waffles worked best. So, I used them. Don't use thick Belgium style waffles, which will make the casserole taste dry.

6-8 frozen Eggo home-style Waffles
1 1/4 cup milk
1/4 tsp. salt
12 ounces Maple Sausage (pork or turkey)
6 eggs
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/8 tsp. pepper
1 1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese.

Preheat oven to 375-degrees and toast waffles on a baking sheet on both sides for about 10 minutes. Brown sausage until no longer pink and drain on paper towels. Coat an 8 X 8 inch square baking dish with non-stick spray or butter.

Arrange 4 waffles in the bottom and sprinkle with half the sausage and half the cheese. Repeat layer, with remaining waffles, sausage and cheese. Wisk eggs and milk in a bowl with the syrup, salt, and pepper. Pour egg mixture over the waffles layers.

 Cover with plastic wrap and set a weight on top. (I used another square pan set on top of the plastic wrap, with canned food set in the empty pan.) Refrigerate over night or for at least 1 hour. Preheat oven to 325- degrees, uncover casserole and bake 45 to 50 minutes until edges are puffy. Cool 5 minutes and serve. Serves 4-6.