Sausage and Tots Easy Breakfast Casserole Recipe – Baked in a Camp Cast Iron Dutch Oven
Some folks like to get everything out and ready before they start the fire. Others like to get everything ready while the fire is heating up. It’s up to you. Me? I like to get everything out and ready before I light the fire. First, I don’t like racing the briquettes. That’s when I feel like the briquettes are hot and ready but my ingredients are not. Second, I kind of like to enjoy my coffee there while I watch the charcoal briquettes burn and heat up. On a colder morning, I enjoy a good warming-up in front of that charcoal chimney.
The Sausage: You don’t have to use a whole pound of sausage. And, you don’t have to use breakfast sausage; Italian sausage works good too. AND, you could use ground beef. AND! You could mix the different sausages and meats.
The Tater Tots: I have to be honest, I am not a big fan of using processed foods in my recipes. But, at the same time, I am a big fan of “easy.” Sometimes, “easy” ain’t so good. But, sometimes “easy” is VERY GOOD! This is one of those kinds of “easy.”
Frozen or thawed? The tots can be frozen when you put them in…but…it’ll take longer. Likewise, we really don’t want them to be completely thawed and at room temperature. Here’s the consideration: We have brought them to camp in our cooler or ice chest and they will have thawed some by the time we get there or by the time we are ready to use them. And, we pulled them out and opened the bag before we lit the fire. They will thaw a bit more. Yes, they will still be cold and hard. It’s okay. They will cook in that pot…no worries.
Another option would be to use about 2 pounds of baked potatoes that have been cooled and shredded up with a cheese shredder. If you go this route, you will need to consider the salt content. The dish may need a bit of salt added over those shredded potatoes when you add them to the top of the dish as the tater tot substitute.
Another tip if you are using shredded baked potato is to create a bit of a hash brown from the potatoes before adding them to the top of the recipe (see Step 17).
I suggest baking the potatoes the evening before and keeping the cooled potatoes in the ice chest or cooler. Or, baking the potatoes at home and packing them with you to camp. The skin? I would just leave it there on the potato. Mamma always said, “you eat that skin; that’s where all the vitamins are.” I don’t know about where the vitamins are but it’s A-OK to leave the skin on those baked potatoes and just shred them up.
A note about using baked potatoes: You will need to adjust for the salt…but…as always: Salt to taste. Here’s an article I have on the Salt-to-Taste copout (tongue in cheek): https://beerandiron.com/salt-to-taste.
First, set everything up and have it at the ready including your tools and utensils. It’s inevitable that you’ll be looking for the one thing when it’s time.
The Cast Iron
This recipe will do very well in a 12-inch regular (shallow) camp cast iron Dutch oven. A 10-inch may work but I’d suggest a deep 10-inch Dutch oven.
Supplies You May Need (Affiliate Links)
- Cutting Board and a Knife for the Meat; to keep the cut bacon pieces and to store the large sausage patty
- Cutting Board and a Knife for the Onions and to store the shredded cheese
- Cheese Shredder
- Wooden Spatula
- Wooden Wok Shovel or a Spoon (optional)
- Paper Towels
- Bowl and Fork to Scramble the Eggs with the Milk and Pepper
- Meat Chopper (optional)
- Fork to scramble the eggs
- Bowl for the eggs and milk
- Scissors (if you prefer to cut the onions and bacon without a cutting board and knife).
I didn’t include the list of in-camp Dutch oven supplies you’ll need for cooking in your camp cast iron Dutch ovens. The tools I listed her are recipe-specific. If you’d like me to list a full list here to include the Dutch oven-specific needs, let me know and I’ll start doing that from now on.
Ingredients:
4 Slices of Bacon
1 Pound / 450g of Breakfast Sausage
1-2 Bunches of Green Onions (chopped with the green chives separated from the white bulb bottoms)
2½ Cups of Grated Cheddar Cheese (divide out ½ -1 cup for the last steps).
2 Cups of Milk (any fat)
4 Large Eggs
½ teaspoon of Pepper
Salt to Taste
2 lbs. Tater Tots, Frozen
Instructions
Step 1: In a bowl, crack the four eggs, add the milk and pepper, and scramble very well.
Step 2: Open the Sausage and create a large flat patty-like shape, almost like a large disk of sausage.
Step 3: Cut the bacon perpendicular and into small strips. Just make a little pile of bacon pieces near the sausage.
Step 4: Cut the green onions. Start at the green, chive ends and make thin cuts all the way towards the transition area. When you reach the white bulb area, cut the white area and keep it separated from the green chives. Don’t over-think this step…a little more of green with white or white with green…it’s all good.
Step 5: Open the pack of tater-tots and have them nearby.
Right now, we have our egg mixture ready, the sausage is ready, and bacon is prepared, our green onions are chopped, and the tots are at the ready. Come on baby, light the fire!
Step 6: Set 24-30 or more charcoal briquettes to fire in the charcoal chimney.
Step 7: While the fire is heating, place your 12-Inch cast iron camp Dutch oven near the charcoal chimney to pre-heat / pre-warm.
Now, let’s cook!
Step 8: Once the briquettes are ready, place the 12-inch camp cast iron Dutch oven over 24-30 or more charcoal briquettes to heat up very hot.
Step 9: Add the bacon to the hot Dutch oven and cook until crispy. When the bacon is done, scoop the small pieces out, and set them aside (maybe on a paper towel to catch the excess oil). This is where you will find the wok shovel to be invaluable. Use the wooden spatula to scoop the bacon bits into the wok shovel and set them aside.
Step 10: Let the bacon fat in the hot 12-inch camp cast iron Dutch oven get very, very hot. Then add the large, patty-like shape of breakfast sausage to the hot pot. We want to brown and caramelize the sausage on one side and then the other BEFORE we break it up.
Add the sausage in one large chunk. Don’t (yet) mix or break up the sausage. Let the sausage sear and brown a bit on one side. Then, flip the large patty over and brown the other side. This WILL add a layer of flavor that does make a difference.
Step 11: Once the sausage has browned nicely, break up the sausage and cook thoroughly. There may be quite a bit of fat and oil produced during this process. That’s okay. If there is quite a bit of liquid fat in the pot, move the sausage to one side of the pot and use a few paper towels to soak up the excess grease.
Leave about 2-3 tablespoons of fat in the pot for sautéing. If you need more oil, add some butter or oil to the pot and let it heat.
Chef Tip: Most of the time when cooking in camp, the Dutch oven sits on slightly unlevel ground and things will “pool” to one side of the pot. PERFECT! Move the browned sausage to the “uphill” side of the pot and then let the fat drain “downhill.”
Chef Tip: That greasy paper towel makes for a great fire starter. Chunk it or save it for the next fire.
Step 12: Add the white bulb parts of the green onions to the pot and mix with the sausage. Sauté until the onions are soft and ready.
Step 13: Pull the pot from the fire so we can put our dish together without the fear of burning stuff.
Step 14: Spread the sausage and onions out evenly over the bottom of the Dutch oven.
Step 15: Add 1-2 cups of cheese to the top of the sausage. I usually don’t measure the cheese; I usually use a couple of handfuls of cheese and just make a nice layer there above the sausage. DO NOT mix or stir in the cheese with the sausage.
Step 16: Pour in the egg mixture and evenly over the cheese-covered sausage. Careful here and go slowly. Pouring the egg in too fast will “wash away” the ingredients that are already in the pot. Pour slow and in a circular motion. DO NOT stir the pot.
Step 17: Add the tater tots to the top of everything. Use your hand. If you pour in the tater tots from the bag, the weight of the tots will “push” the ingredients aside. Use your hand and add a few at a time. “Sprinkle” them on the top. Some will sink; that’s okay. DO NOT mix in the tater tots. Just let them sit on the top.
If you are using shredded baked potatoes, grab a handful at a time and cover the mixture with the shredded potatoes. Then, decide if you’d like some salt. If so, sprinkle a bit on the top of the potatoes.
Step 18: Return the lid to the pot. From the pile of briquettes we have already, transfer 16-18 hot charcoal briquettes evenly on the lid.
Step 19: Set 8-10 hot charcoal briquettes in a circle about the size of the diameter of the bottom of the Dutch oven and set the Dutch oven over these 8-10 briquettes.
Step 20: Turn the pot in 10-15 minutes. Rotate the lid in one direction 1/3 of a turn. And then, turn the whole pot 1/3 of a turn in the other direction. Do this 2-3 times.
Step 21: After 30 minutes, use a fork to sneak out a tot. Give it a taste test. Is it done? Does it need more time? Are the eggs done? You may need to bake for another 15 minutes.
Step 22: When the tots are fully warmed and the egg is fully cooked, remove the pot from the fire. Remove the lid and set aside on a lid stand. Place the remaining bits of cheese on the top (1/2 – 1 Cup), sprinkle the cut green onion chives over the top, and evenly spread out the bacon bits we cooked earlier. Put the lid back on the pot.
Step 23: Place all the hot briquettes you have on the top of the lid of the Dutch oven (remove all heat from the bottom of the Dutch oven). If you have a few extra, you can add them as well. We are now BROILING the ingredients to really toast the tots and cheese. Let the cheese melt and toast for about 5-10 minutes. Check after 5 minutes to make sure you don’t burn it.
Step 24: Once the cheese is melted and the dish is ready, it’s time for breakfast!!
I use a wooden spoon or a wok shovel to cut and scoop out from the pot and directly into the bowl. ENJOY!
Summary
And the recipe is now yours!
This is a crowd-pleaser for sure. You’ll likely feed 4-6 people with this one.
Creating this recipe at home in a home Dutch oven is very doable as well. If you do bake this recipe at home and in your home’s oven, leave the lid off the Dutch oven while you bake.
CHEERS!
You all keep on cooking in those cast iron beauties and enjoying those glasses of that fermented barley pop.
We’ll see you next time.
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Sausage and Tots Easy Breakfast Casserole
Equipment
- Cutting Board for the Meat
- Cutting Board for the Onions
- Cheese Shredder
- Wooden Spatula
- Wooden Wok Shovel or a Spoon (optional)
- Paper Towels
- Bowl – to Scramble the Eggs with the Milk and Pepper
- Meat Chopper (optional) (optional)
- Fork to scramble the eggs – to scramble the eggs
- Scissors – if you prefer to cut the onions and bacon without a cutting board and knife
Ingredients
- 4 Slices Bacon
- 1 Pound Breakfast Sausage
- 1-2 Bunches of Green Onions – chopped with the green chives separated from the white bulb bottoms
- 2½ Cups Grated Cheddar Cheese – divide out ½ -1 cup for the last steps.
- 2 Cups Milk – any fat percentage
- 4 Large Eggs
- ½ teaspoon Pepper
- Salt to Taste
- 2 lbs. Tater Tots – Frozen
Instructions
- In a bowl, crack the four eggs, add the milk and pepper, and scramble very well.
- Open the Sausage and create a large flat patty-like shape, almost like a large disk of sausage.
- Cut the bacon perpendicular and into small strips.
- Cut the green onions. Keep the “green” chive parts and the “white” bulb parts separate.
- Set 24-30 or more charcoal briquettes to fire in the charcoal chimney.
- Once the briquettes are ready, place the 12-inch camp cast iron Dutch oven over 24-30 or more charcoal briquettes to heat up very hot.
- Add the bacon to the hot Dutch oven and cook until crispy. When the bacon is done, scoop the small pieces out, and set them aside.
- Add the large, patty-like shape of breakfast sausage to the hot pot. Brown and caramelize the sausage on one side and then the other BEFORE breaking it up. Once the sausage has browned nicely, break up the sausage and cook thoroughly.
- Remove the excess oil from the pot and leave about 2-3 tablespoons of fat in the pot for sautéing the onions. If you need more oil, add some butter or oil to the pot and let it heat.
- Add the bulb parts (white parts) of the green onions to the pot and mix with the sausage. Sauté until the onions are soft and ready.
- Spread the sausage and onions out evenly over the bottom of the Dutch oven and layer 1-2 cups of cheese to the top of the sausage.
- Pour in the egg mixture and evenly over the cheese-covered sausage. Pour slow and in a circular motion. DO NOT stir the pot.
- Add the tater tots to the top of everything. Use your hand and add a few at a time. Just layer them on the top.
- Return the lid to the pot and place 16-18 hot charcoal briquettes evenly on the lid. Then, set the Dutch oven over a circle of 8-10 hot charcoal briquettes under the Dutch oven and set the Dutch oven over these 8-10 briquettes.
- Turn the pot in 10-15 minutes.
- After 30 minutes, use a fork to sample a tater tot for a doneness-taste-test. You may need to bake for another 15 minutes.
- When the tots are fully warmed and the egg is fully cooked, remove the lid and place the remaining cheese on the top (1/2 – 1 Cup), sprinkle the cut green onion chives over the top, and evenly spread out the bacon bits. Put the lid back on the pot.
- Place all the hot briquettes you have on the top of the lid of the Dutch oven to broil the ingredients (remove all heat from the bottom of the Dutch oven). Let the cheese melt and toast for about 5-10 minutes. Check after 5 minutes to make sure you don’t burn it.
