Eggs Benedict Baskets

Even before Christmas was over, I was working on what to serve for Easter brunch. I came across a magazine that had a recipe for little "baskets" made from hash browns and then filled with scrambled eggs. Not only did it remind me of Easter, but I thought it was the perfect idea for feeding a crowd.

With a few changes, I came up with a version of the baskets that I think are a little more elegant. The bottoms are filled with chopped Canadian bacon, topped with an egg and then Hollandaise sauce. If you're not a fan of Eggs Benedict, you can easily change the filling to whatever you like.

The following recipe is for a serving of 4 so I used ramekins that I have. You can use a jumbo muffin pan instead which will also allow you to make more at a time. If you don't want to attempt Haollandaise sauce from scratch, try Knorr's packaged mix. You can find it in the gravy aisle and it's pretty good.

2 cups shredded hash browns, thawed

2 tbs butter, melted

1 egg, beaten

salt and pepper to taste

8 slices Canadian bacon, diced and evenly divided

4 eggs

Hollandaise Sauce

Preheat oven to 400°

In a bowl mix hash browns, butter and egg. Season with salt and pepper. Spray muffin tin or ramekins with cooking spray, divide hash brown mixture evenly into each mold. Press hash browns on bottom and up sides, making a crust. Bake in oven until they begin to brown, about 25-30 minutes.

Remove from oven and fill with divided bacon. Carefully crack one egg into each. Bake in oven until whites of eggs are set but yellows are still soft, about 20 minutes. Remove from oven and let stand for a seconds. Take a knife and carefully loosen the crusts. With an offset spatula, carefully remove each basket and place on a serving dish. Top with Hollandaise sauce and green onions, if desired.