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.