Spanish Breakfast Strata with Black Olives and Chorizo

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil (plus extra to grease the baking dish)
• 1 medium onion (minced)
• 1 lb fresh chorizo sausage (skin removed and chopped)
• 4 cloves garlic (minced)
• 1 cup chopped black olives
• 2 red bell peppers (chopped)
• 12 large eggs
• 3 cups whole milk
• 4 cups grated gruyere cheese (divided - can sub another alpine cheese, such as emmental or comté)
• 2 teaspoons EACH: smoked Spanish paprika and oregano
• 1 teaspoon EACH: salt and pepper
• 1 loaf sourdough bread (sliced into 1" cubes)
• Minced chives (to garnish)

Instructions

1. 1

   cook sausage: Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until it is translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the sausage and garlic and cook until the sausage is fully cooked, about 7 minutes. Mix in the Hojiblanca olives and red peppers and set the pan aside.

2. 2

   whisk eggs: While the sausage is cooking, whisk the eggs, milk, cheese, Spanish paprika, oregano, salt, and pepper in a large bowl.

3. 3

   combine: Grease an 11x9 inch baking dish with olive oil, then add the cubed bread. Top evenly with the cooked onions and chorizo. Pour the whisked eggs and milk over top and gently push any exposed bread down into the custard. Cover the baking dish with foil. (You can either bake the strata right away, or put it in your fridge for up to a day.)

4. 4

   preheat oven: Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Bake the strata covered for 35 minutes, then remove the foil and continue to bake for 20 minutes, until the strata is puffed, golden on top, and the eggs have set. Let the strata rest for 10 minutes before serving.