New Year’s Day, at our house, is an honored holiday. We have a very specific set of rituals. They include staying in pajamas all day long, having friends over to watch “The Twilight Zone” marathon and recover from the previous night’s festivities, drinking the leftover champagne in the form of mimosas, and eating something hearty and restorative for breakfast.

We like to host New Year’s Eve parties at our house. It is a wholly selfish endeavor, as we don’t like to pay baby sitters on NYE, and we don’t like to drive or brave the restaurants or bars on “amateur night.” Instead, we traditionally have a party at home wherein we make chili and homemade cinnamon rolls, and play the game du jour. This year, it will be Cards Against Humanity. Everyone then comes back over the next day to help us hold down our couches and eat up the leftover food. I honestly look forward to this two-day event as much as I look forward to my own birthday, for it is so good.

For breakfast, I always make a big batch of something simple but fitting. It has to be a little greasy, and cheesy, and it has to be filling but fast to put together. My husband is a big fan of a Waffle House, what with their hash browns that come chunked, skattered, smothered, covered, globbed, gooed and bedazzled. In homage to those crazy browns, I give you my hash browns a go-go. It’s perfect for New Year’s Day breakfast, or really any morning that needs a little something extra in the breakfast department, if you know what I mean.

Loaded New Year’s Day Hash Browns

4 or 5 yukon gold potatoes, diced
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup frozen bell pepper strips (or fresh, but frozen works great and FAST)
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 lb breakfast sausage
4 or 5 eggs
2 teaspoons Cavendar’s Greek seasoning
1/2 teaspoon dill
Dash of salt
Black pepper

Dice up your potatoes. No need to peel them.

Melt the butter in a skillet (I like cast iron for this) and toss in the taters over medium-high heat. Sprinkle with a teaspoon of Cavendar’s and some pepper. Don’t be tempted to stir them — you want to get them nice and brown and crispy on one side before you flip them over.

Meanwhile, start browning your sausage.

When the potatoes are golden brown, flip them. Add more butter to the pan if necessary.

You don’t have to cook the potatoes completely, but you want them well on their way to doneness. Remove them to a small casserole dish (9 x 9 is perfect for this). Cover with sausage, peppers and 1/2 cup of cheese.

Crack the eggs into a separate bowl, sprinkle with Cavendar’s, salt, and pepper, and beat them together a bit. Then pour them over the potato, pepper, sausage mixture, and top with more cheese.

Bake at 350 for 15 minutes. Cover with aluminum foil for part of the cooking process if you are concerned about over-cooking the cheese.

This will make your guests weep, for it is the perfect thing and exactly what they never knew they always wanted for a New Year’s Day breakfast. Of course, we always have cinnamon rolls with it because I manage to save a few back from the festivities the night before for this express purpose. Raise a glass of mimosa, or a strong cup of black coffee, and give the new year a nod. It can only be amazing, if you start it out this way.