Ham and Tomato Strata

A strata - literally, "layers" - is a savoury bread casserole. Essentially, you pour an egg mixture over bread and cheese and let soak in overnight.

butter, for greasing dish
1 lb Italian loaf, crust removed, cut crosswise into ½” slices
1 cup Virginia ham (¼” dice)
2 cups Swiss cheese, grated
2 Tbsp. fresh chives, minced
3 small tomatoes, cored and sliced into ¼” rounds
8 large eggs
4 cups milk
2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
2 tsp. coarse sea salt
¼ tsp. black pepper, freshly cracked

Butter a 9x13” baking dish. Arrange half of the bread slices in the bottom of the dish. Sprinkle with half of the ham, cheese, and chives. Add another layer of bread and cover it with the remaining ham, cheese, and chives. Arrange the tomato slices on top.

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, mustard, salt, and pepper until well combined. Pour mixture over the bread and cheese layers. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C/160°C fan, Gas Mark 4).

Let strata come to room temperature, about 25 minutes.

Bake strata, uncovered, until golden and fluffy and a knife inserted comes out clean (60-70 minutes). Let stand 20 minutes before serving.

Makes 12-14 servings.