Facial hair can be awesome. I love my effortless ability to grow on-demand face art. I’ve gone through thousands of permutations in my life: full-on caveman, Civil War mustachioed sideburns, mutton chops, soul goatee, and the list goes on. Over the years, to my great chagrin, I have found that attempting to gracefully eat an open-faced bagel while wearing such an ostentatious beard is a near impossibility. Whiskers and cream cheese are natural enemies. So, what’s a bearded guy to do? Casserole it.
Ingredients
- 3 large bagels (about 1 lb), cut into 1-inch pieces
- ½ small red onion, diced
- 8 oz cherry tomatoes, halved
- 2 scallions, sliced thinly
- 7 eggs
- 2 cups half-and-half or milk
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 3 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- 8 oz cream cheese, cubed
- 8 oz Nova lox or smoked salmon, diced
How to Make It
- In a large mixing bowl, toss the bagel pieces with red onion, cherry tomatoes, and scallions until well mixed. In another mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, half-and-half or milk, salt, and garlic powder.
- Coat the bottom and sides of a baking dish with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Evenly distribute half of the bagel mixture in the baking dish. Dot the mixture with cream cheese cubes and salmon. Layer the remaining bread mixture atop the cream cheese and salmon. Be sure to keep it as even as possible (no bagel hills).
- Slowly pour the egg mixture evenly over the bagel mixture, being sure that some of the liquid reaches most, if not all, of the bread. Use the back of a wooden spoon, a clean hand, or spatula, to compress the whole mixture to ensure that the liquid is evenly distributed.
- Cover the baking dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Remove the baking dish from the refrigerator, discard the plastic wrap, and cover tightly with aluminum foil. Transfer the baking dish to the center rack of the oven. Bake for 35 minutes. Remove the baking dish from the oven, and drizzle the top with the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Transfer the baking dish back into the oven and bake for an additional 35–40 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and crusty.
- Remove the casserole from the oven and allow it to cool for 15 minutes before slicing and serving.
