Philly Cheese Steak Casserole

I’ve made this twice already and it is delicious. The first time I made it, I did the following: I followed the advice of a few other reviewers and used 8 eggs instead of 6, and cooked the onion with the sausage. I also tossed in some diced green peppers and onions with the potatoes that I shredded, and I baked the crust separately. The second time I made it, I used frozen hash browns instead of shredding my own potatoes. I just tossed the frozen hash browns with diced peppers, onions, and melted butter, and baked at 375 for about 30 minutes. The frozen hash browns hold up much better than using grated potato hash browns, probably because frozen hash browns are thicker. The fresh grated hash browns were by no means bad, but the frozen hash browns had better taste and texture. Also, the second time I used ricotta cheese, and I gotta say, I liked the cottage cheese better. Again, the ricotta was not bad, but the casserole made with ricotta came out kind of spongy, if you will. The casserole made with the cottage cheese was more moist and, in my opinion, more flavorful. The cheese flavor of the ricotta was more subtle than the cottage cheese, and again, the ricotta gave the casserole a spongy (almost dry) texture. I also agree with the reviewer who used 4 cups of hash browns instead of 3. HOMEMADE SAUSAGE: 1LB GROUND BEEF, 2t GROUND GINGER, 2t GROUND SAGE, 3/4t SALT, 1/2t BLACK PEPPER, PINCH CAYENNE PEPPER.