Breakfast for dinner: Classy French Toast with Potatoes and Bacon

Some days it's just too hot to cook, but at the same time you want something filling.

Because too many days in a row of bologna sandwiches get pretty tiring.

The solution? Breakfast for dinner!

This meal takes a bit of planning, but not a lot of preparation time.

I'll skip the recipes for scrambled eggs and the bacon. Scrambled eggs are scrambled eggs, right? And we used Ruthy's Peppered Maple Bacon recipe. So delicious!

Now for the planning.

Start the potatoes first. I'm not sure this recipe has a name, so we're going to make one up: "Oven Bacon Potatoes." How does that sound?

Oven Bacon Potatoes

ingredients:
a pound or so of Golden Dutch Potatoes (or another baby potato variety)
4 or 5 garlic cloves, peeled
2-4 slices bacon
salt and pepper

Slice the itty bitty potatoes in half, or quarter them, and throw them in the skillet. Add the garlic, salt, and pepper.
Cut the bacon strips in half, then lay them on top of the potatoes.

Stick the skillet (or casserole dish) in the oven at 350° for about 30 minutes. You can put the bacon in at the same time. Recipe continued below....

Meanwhile, get ready to fix the Classy French Toast.

ingredients:

1 1/4 cups whole milk (or 1 cup skim milk and 1/4 cup heavy cream)
4 eggs
1 teaspoon sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon each: ginger, nutmeg and cloves

Whisk the ingredients until everything is beaten together. When you stop whisking, the spices will float to the top, but that's all right.

Slice your bread of choice into 1" thick slices. We used Challah (such a rich, eggy bread - perfect for this French toast!), but you can use any bread you wish.

...now back to the potatoes!

After 30 minutes, stir your potatoes. Your Maple Pepper Bacon should be done. If it isn't, turn the slices and put them back in the oven.

Turn the oven heat up to 425° and bake the potatoes for an additional 15 minutes. (Don't forget to keep an eye on the Maple Pepper Bacon!!!

...and now back to the French Toast!

Pour the egg mixture into a dish big enough for your bread slices to fit in, but also has a flat bottom. I use a 9"x9" baking dish.

Lay the bread slices in the egg mixture, one or two pieces at a time, and let the bread soak up some of the liquid. Turn the slices over, wait for a bit, then put the slices on your griddle. Repeat until all the bread is gone.

The egg mixture above is enough is enough for 6-8 pieces of bread - big slices!

Cook on the griddle on medium heat (about 325° to 350°) until brown on both sides and cooked through - about 5 minutes per side.

Meanwhile, cook your eggs, check on the bacon, and stir the potatoes one more time.

Keep the potatoes in the oven until they're done - hopefully at the same time as your French toast and scrambled eggs!

Fruit is the perfect accompaniment to this meal. I had one of our fresh peaches, straight from Georgia!

What is your favorite hot weather meal?