Overnight Sausage Breakfast Strata with Antelope

5 from 3 votes

Overnight Sausage Breakfast Strata with Antelope

Sausage breakfast strata layers egg-soaked brioche, savory antelope sausage, and cheese for a hearty meal. Perfect for weekends or holidays, it’s prepped the night before and baked in the morning.

Prep Time20

Cook Time1 25

Total Time1 35

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Calories: 459kcal

Author: Annie Weisz

Equipment

cast iron casserole pan (or other casserole pan)
Parchment Paper
aluminum foil

Ingredients

Breakfast Sausage:

1 lb ground antelope (or other ground meat)
1 ½ tablespoon thyme, finely chopped (or 1 tablespoon dried)
1 ½ tablespoon sage, finely chopped (or 1 tablespoon dried)
1 teaspoon fennel
1 teaspoon marjoram
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes (more or less depending on spice preference)
½ teaspoon paprika
1 pinch ground cloves
2 tablespoon maple syrup

Strata:

1 lb breakfast sausage (from above)
3 tablespoon pork lard (only needed if your sausage doesn't have fat ground in)
12 brioche dinner rolls/slider rolls
12 eggs
1 cup half and half
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
16 oz white cheddar, shredded (or mix of white and orange cheddar)

Instructions

Breakfast Sausage:

Combine all ingredients except ground meat and maple syrup in a medium bowl. Add in ground meat and maple syrup. Mix together with your hands until spice mixture is well-distributed in the meat. Cover bowl and refrigerate for at least a couple of hours, preferably overnight.

Strata:

Heat a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat.
Add lard to pan and heat until melted. Add in breakfast sausage. Break up meat until it makes a layer on the bottom of the pan. Let it cook for a while (3-5 minutes) before stirring or flipping it.
Once the bottom layer of meat has a nice crisp to it, flip the meat and redistribute in the pan. Continue cooking until all meat is browned, about 5 minutes longer. Set aside.
In a large bowl, combine eggs, half and half, salt, and pepper. Whisk until well combined.
Slice rolls in half so that they resemble slider buns. You can slice them all at once if they are stuck together.
Line cast iron casserole pan with parchment paper. If you are using a glass or ceramic pan, this step is not necessary but it does help keep the strata from sticking to the pan. If you're using cast iron, this step is necessary to keep the liquid from soaking in the pan overnight which can lead to rust.
Pour ⅓ of egg mixture into parchment paper-lined pan. Place bottom halves of rolls in pan.
Continue layering in this order: ⅓ of the cheese, all of the sausage, ⅓ of the cheese, ⅓ of the eggs, the tops of the rolls, and the remaining ⅓ of the eggs.
Squish the rolls down into the eggs my spreading your hands out over them. This will be messy but it is essential to make sure the rolls soak up the eggs.
Top with remaining ⅓ of the cheese. Grease a piece of foil with oil or butter and place on top of the pan to cover. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.
In the morning, place pan in cold oven. Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake for 1 hour or until internal temperature reaches 165°F. Remove foil and bake an additional 10 minutes or until cheese is browned.
Let rest for 10 minutes before serving. Cut in between the rolls to serve. Enjoy!

Freezing Instructions:

Follow all steps above. Once strata is cut into portions, place them on a parchment paper-lined sheet pan and freeze until solid. Once frozen, place in an airtight container or bag and freeze for up to 3 months.
Thaw individual portions under refrigeration. Reheat in microwave or oven until internal temperature reaches 165°F.

Notes

A cast iron casserole pan is perfect for getting those beautiful crispy, golden brown edges. You can also use a different type of baking dish.
This recipe uses homemade antelope breakfast sausage. You can make a big batch to save for venison biscuits and gravy, venison breakfast sausage bites, and more! You can substitute it with your favorite type of breakfast sausage or diced ham instead.
I love the flavor of fluffy brioche rolls for strata. You can switch it up and use cubes of Dutch oven sourdough bread or your favorite bread/roll instead. If you love brioche, you'll love my brioche croutons!
Sharp white cheddar adds some contrast to the sweet and savory brioche rolls and sausage. Other great options are Swiss, gruyere, gouda, or cheddar cheese.
Let the strata sit in the fridge overnight to allow the bread to fully absorb the egg mixture—this ensures a rich, custardy texture and even baking.

Nutrition

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