Recipe: Jackie's Deviled Brunch Casserole

Jackie's Deviled Brunch Casserole
From: Terrie,.MD
My aunt Jackie brought this dish to brunch recently and it was a delicious alternative to the basic strata.
Serves 8

For the Deviled Eggs:
8 hard-cooked eggs
1 1/2 tsp. finely chopped onion
1/2 tsp. dry mustard
1/2 tsp. salt
3 tbsp mayonnaise
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
for the cheese sauce:
3 tbsp butter
2 tsp. chopped onion
3 tbsp flour
2-3/4 cup milk
1 1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese
1/2 tsp. salt
Other Ingredients:
8 large, thin slices of good quality ham, sliced in half lengthwise (if you like country ham, Smithfield ham works very well, as would prosciutto)
3 (10-oz.) packages frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and squeezed dry (or 3 cups of cooked fresh spinach)
1 1/2 cups corn flakes, crushed
1/4 cup melted butter

Arrange spinach in an 8x12-inch casserole dish that has been lightly sprayed with cooking spray. The spinach must be as dry as possible or it will make your casserole watery. Season spinach with salt and pepper.

Make deviled eggs by slicing hard cooked eggs in half and scooping out yolks. Mash yolks with the next 5 ingredients. Fill whites with the stuffing. Wrap each stuffed egg half with a half slice of the ham and place in a single layer, cut sides up, on top of the spinach.

In a saucepan, melt 3 tbsp. butter, add onion and simmer until completely soft but not brown. Add flour and stir for 2 minutes to cook flour, but do not allow to brown. Slowly whisk in cold milk (if you add it too fast, it will make lumps). Stir and simmer until sauce thickens. Stir in cheese until melted and season with salt. Pour sauce over deviled eggs. Can be made ahead to this point and refrigerated until the next morning. Bring to room temperature (at least 30 minutes) before baking.

Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Mix melted butter and crushed corn flakes very well and sprinkle over casserole. Bake for 30-45 minutes or until bubbling hot in center. Allow to rest for 5-10 minutes before serving.