The Quiche for Less: Part Duex

So, I shredded my potatos and whisked my eggs and have to say I was really pleased with the quiche. My overall notes

The crust:

Yes potato and egg do go well together. The taste was not the same as having a pastry crust, no surprise there. And there texture was not the same flaky goodness as a traditional crust -- again no surprise. But, it was still very satisfying.

Problems? The bottom was a bit mushy. I didn't crisp the bottom of the crust as much as I should have. Thinking about it now I'm guessing I should do what I would do with a regular crust and protect the edges of the potato from cripsing too much with tin foil and keep the crust in the oven longer to get a crisper crust.

Also, the egg mixture did leak through the bottom when I poured it in. I don't think there is much that can be done with this except try to use more grated potato.

Speaking of which that is the big lesson I learned in doing this recipe -- do not be skimpy with the shredded potato. I forgot that the potato would shrink as moisture is lost during baking. In the future I would err on the side of over filling the pie pan.

The Egg Mixture:

Pretty good. The first serving I felt the egg mixture was a little plain and the parmesan seemed lost. However, on further reheatings the cheese flavor became more apparent. Was my first serving still too warm? I think so. Really need to let he quiche cool to room temp to get all the flavors to come out, me thinks.

Would I do this again?

Absolutely. Good nutritionals. Good taste. Fewer calories. What more could I ask for? Next time I would try a second cheese with the parmesan. I think a small amount of a strong flavored cheese wouldn't add too much to the calories. Overall this was a very good recipe that would be great for breakfast, brunch, lunch or dinner.

RECIPE:
EQUIPMENT
Food processor (or use grator)
Grator
9 inch pie plate
Mixing bowl
Whisk
Knife
Cutting Board

Ingrediants:

Crust:
2 medium potato, grated (Want 2 cups packed. Do not be shy with your shredded potoato. Really pack it in)
Non Stick Spray
1 eggs

Filling
1 cup 2% milk
2 eggs
1 pinch nutmeg
7 oz frozen spinach
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated
Salt and pepper to taste


Method:

Crust:
Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees.

Spray pie plate with non-stick

Shred potatos, with food processor. You can use grator if you don't have or don't want to pull out the food processor. Place shredded potato in colander and add pinch of kosher salt. The kosher salt will help draw out water. Let sit 10 minutes and then squeeze out as much water as possible. Mix in egg. Pile shredded potato into pie plate building up the sides.

Place pie plate in oven and bake about 40 minutes or until golden brown. If the bottom needs more crisping, but the edges are done cover edges with aluminum foil.

When done remove from oven and put aside. Adjust oven to 350 degrees

Quiche:
Grate cheese
Chop onions
Place cheese, spinach and onion into crust
In mixing bowl whisk egg, milk and nutmeg. Pour into crust until it's about 1/4 inch from the top.
Place in oven and bake for 40 - 45 minutes until the edges are set and the middle is still jiggly.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool to room temp.

The Quiche for Less

I love quiche, and I don't love the calories. But, a few years ago I read a recipe that suggested using a potato crust in place of a pastry crust. Hmmm can you really go wrong mixing eggs, dairy and potatos? I think not. Plus this would be a kosher for passover meal. (Have I mentioned I'm Jewish? I am, so I love any cooking concepts that help with kashrut.) I'm not the first to do this, but it is the first time I will be attempting to make a quiche with a potato crust. But, there is one question which type of potato crust to choose?

There are three types of potato crusts that I've seen on the internet: shredded, mashed, and thinly sliced. Mashed sounds yummy, however what I've seen calls for butter. I'm not concerned with dairy, but i don't want the added fat and calorie of butter. I think, calorically and nutritionally, I can do better.

Sliced crust. This would be the least amount of calories and no added fat: no extra butter, no extra shortening, and no extra eggs. But, I worry that the liquid mixture penetrating the spaces between the layered slices, no matter how much I overlapped the potatos, so not my favorite option.

Which leads me to shredded. Yes, it adds an egg to the recipe, but one extra won't up the calories that much. So, let's see how it goes. Below is the recipe I plan to follow. I'll report back on the results.

Ingrediants:

Crust:
2 medium potato, grated (Want about 2 cups packed)
1 tsp canola oil
1 eggs

Filling
1 cup 2% milk
2 eggs
1 pinch nutmeg
7 oz frozen spinach
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated
Salt and pepper to taste

Equipment:
Food processor (or use grator)
Grator
9 inch pie plate
Mixing bowl
Whisk
Knife
Cutting Board


Method:

Crust:
Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees.

Shred potatos, place in colander and add pinch of kosher salt. The kosher salt will help draw out water. Let sit 10 minutes and then squeeze out as much water as possible. Mix in egg. Pile shredded potato into pie plate building up the sides.

Place pie tin in oven and bake about 40 minutes or until golden brown.

Remove from oven and put aside. Adjust oven to 350 degrees

Quiche:
Grate cheese
Chop onions
Place cheese, spinach and onion into crust
In mixing bowl whisk egg, milk and nutmeg. Pour into crust until it's about 1/4 inch from the top.
Place in oven and bake for 40 - 45 minutes until the edges are set and the middle is still jiggly.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool to room temp.