New Year's Day Brunch Menu of Your (Hungover) Dreams

Preparation

Is there anything worse than waking up on New Year’s Day to find nothing in the fridge but a flat bottle of bubbly and a sad wedge of cheese that represents your hungover soul? 

Instead of starting the new year on a culinary low, why not kick it off with a feast worthy of the year ahead? We're talking about a spread so good it’ll make your hangover seem like a distant memory and give you something to talk about besides last night’s dance moves (which, let’s face it, are best left unexamined). 

These three recipes are designed to soak up the booze and set you on the right course for 2025. Our recommendation? Invite your friends over, prep what you can in advance, and ask people to tag in morning-of to lighten the lift. And don’t forget to stock up on a bucket of Bloody Mary mix and OJ for mimosas, plus enough coffee to caffeinate your entire crew.

Polenta & Egg Casserole

Few dishes are cozier than cheesy polenta, especially when it’s been upgraded to a complete meal via a casserole. Think: eggs nestled into the warm embrace of sautéed sausage, kale and garlicky tomatoes. Start by roasting cherry or grape tomatoes in a sweet-tart balsamic mixture until jammy. (Do that in a baking dish or in any of your HexClad pans, since they’re all oven-safe). Then, after sautéing sausage and kale in your 4.5-QT Deep Sauté Pan, make a creamy polenta in the same pan, enriched with milk, butter, fontina and Parmesan. (Because 2025 deserves two types of cheese.)

Get ahead: There’s a fair amount that you can do up to three days in advance: Roast the tomatoes (making sure to reserve any oil in the pan) and sauté the sausage and kale mixture. Refrigerate each in separate containers, then gently reheat in the microwave before proceeding with the recipe.

Griddled Croque Madame

Grilled cheese has nothing on a croque madame, which is essentially a ham-and-cheese egg sandwich souped up with a rich béchamel sauce. Your Hybrid Double Burner Griddle will come in handy here for everything from crisping up the sliced ham to cooking the eggs to toasting the sandwiches. If you’re working a salty-sweet double punch, follow these up with a batch of Classic Pancakes on the same griddle.

Get ahead: The béchamel can be made up to a day in advance. And though it might sound over-the-top, you can grate the Gruyère and mozzarella ahead of time, too. (No one wants to channel their inner bodybuilder at the grater while nursing a hangover.)

Brown Suga –Cinnamon Crunch French Toast Casserole

For those who can’t face eggs or need a sweet pick-me-up alongside an entire pot of coffee, we present this–dare we say–extra casserole. Imagine if French toast and bread pudding had a baby, and that’s only the beginning. The dish is topped with a cinnamon crunch that tips the scales firmly into dessert territory. Of course, if that sounds like too much work, you can just stick with the French toast casserole bit and skip the topping. But, where's the fun in that?

Get ahead: The whole idea of this dish is that it has to be made in advance. You could make it just an hour ahead of time, but if you’re planning on hosting a crew for New Year’s Day, make it the night before, just before you head out to celebrate. All that’ll be left to do the next morning is top with the crunch and bake.

See you on Jan. 1, when we’ll be pajamas-clad, sporting smudged eyeliner and ready to devour everything in sight.