Bagels and Lox Breakfast Stuffing

(CCTV.com)

Sooner or later you are going to have to wake up on Thanksgiving morning. If you managed to grab up the ingredients below the night before, you will have the makings of a breakfast fit for the finest lonely New Yorker. The recipe makes a fair amount, so you can re-heat it the next few mornings, or, if you are smart about it, you will use the prospect of such grand left overtures to lure someone in to your company.  When it comes to “what to drink” Robert Mondavi Private Selection Central Coast Pinot Noir is where it’s at.  Pinot Noir is elegant and pretty.  It’s bold enough to tackle smoked fish, but light enough to not overpower.  It’s also really easy to drink first thing in the morning.

Cook Time:30 min

Prep Time:10 min

Total Time:40 min

Servings: 5

Ingredients:

4 store-bought "everything" bagels, torn in to chunks

1 Tablespoon unsalted butter

1 Tablespoon sesame seeds

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 Cup chicken broth

8 Ounce cream cheese, softened

1/2 Cup diced red onion (about 1 small onion)

2 Tablespoon drained capers, plus 1 tablespoon brine

6 Ounce smoked salmon, chopped

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 250.

Spread the bagel bits out on a baking sheet and toast until dry, 12 to 15 minutes. Allow to cool, and increase the oven temperature to 350 degrees F.

Melt the butter in a small sauce pan over low heat. Add the sesame seeds and garlic and swirl until golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the chicken broth and cream cheese, increase the heat to medium and bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally to help dissolve the cream cheese.

Place half the bagel bits in a 9- by-13-inch baking dish. Sprinkle half of the red onions and capers over the stale bagel bits. Add the chopped smoked salmon. Cover this mix with the remaining the stale bagel bits and top with the remaining red onion and capers. Add the caper brine for good measure.

Now carefully pour the chicken stock cream-cheese mixture over the bagel bits. Use a rubber spatula to press the mix out evenly. Bake for 15 minutes.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Make all of this the night before, and bake it when you wake up. By the time you take a shower, (yes, it’s a holiday and you are lonely, but take a shower!) you’ll have a wicked way to start your day.