Sausage and Potato Breakfast Casserole

We woke up feeling quite full from last night's dinner, so I decided to make a hearty brunch. This recipe is quite similar to our other favorite breakfast casserole, but this recipe didn't include any eggs. While the ingredients and their amounts remained the same, I did change up the order of the casserole: I salted & peppered the potatoes, and mixed in some of the shredded cheese so it melts throughout the potato. I also added 1 layer of chopped green onions. Adding some dashes of Frank's Red Hot before eating was the perfect amount of spice for us- without it, I thought it would have been a bit bland (but we love flavor). This can easily be made the evening before, and you can throw it in the oven the day of. If feeding for a crowd, double the recipe. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
1-lb pork breakfast sausage (Used spicy sausage)
2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1-1/2 cups milk (Do not use low-fat or nonfat)
1-lb package frozen shredded hash browns
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 green onions, chopped
1-1/4 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese, divided

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 8x8x2-inch glass baking dish.
2. Cook sausage in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat until brown, breaking into small pieces with back of spoon, about 5 minutes.
3. Mix in flour, then milk. Cook until mixture thickens and comes to boil, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes.
4. In a medium bowl, mix the potatoes and 1 cup of cheese. Add salt and pepper.
5. Arrange the potatoes/cheese mixture in prepared dish.
6. Top with 2/3 of green onions, sausage mixture, and remaining 1/4 cup of cheese.
7. Bake casserole until potatoes are tender, about 45 minutes.
8. Sprinkle with remaining green onions, and serve.

Source: Adapted from Bon Appetit