Savory Bread Pudding with Sausage and Escarole

Ingredients

• 4 large eggs 
• 4 ounces endive white rinsed thinly sliced (see notes)
• 0.1 teaspoon fresh-grated nutmeg 
• 2 cloves garlic minced pressed peeled
• 10 cup cubes french country-style (1 lb.; crusts removed)
• 1 pound sausage fresh italian hot ( 4 links)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil 
• 10 oz onion peeled thinly sliced cut in half, and crosswise
• 0.3 teaspoon pepper 
• 1 teaspoon salt 
• 1 cup swiss cheese shredded
• 2 cups milk whole

Equipment

• bowl
• frying pan
• oven
• knife
• whisk
• baking pan
• wooden spoon
• aluminum foil

Directions

1. Pour oil into a 10- to 12-inch frying pan over medium-high heat.
2. Add onion and stir often until limp and slightly golden, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and crumble sausage into pan. Stir often until meat is no longer pink, 7 to 10 minutes, using a wooden spoon to break up the meat if necessary.
3. Add escarole to sausage mixture in pan and reduce heat to low. Stir until escarole is wilted, 1 to 2 minutes.
4. Remove pan from heat.
5. In a large bowl, whisk the milk and eggs until combined. Stir in Gruyre, bread cubes, salt, pepper, and nutmeg.
6. Add sausage mixture and stir to mix well. Scrape mixture into a buttered 9- by 13-inch baking dish and spread level (see notes).
7. Bake in a 375 oven until top is golden and a knife inserted in the middle comes out mostly clean, 35 to 45 minutes. (If top is brown after 30 minutes, cover loosely with foil and continue to bake.)
8. Serve hot.