Goat Cheese and Dill Quiche in a Hash Brown Crust

I don’t know about you guys, but I seriously cannot manage one day without eggs.

Truly.  Whether they are scrambled, soft boiled, poached, fried, turned into egg salad, a frittata or a quiche, we go through eggs so quickly.  Of course, plenty get used for baking as well.  But still, for two people, we are definitely keeping Ontario egg farmers in business.  One day we will have our own farm with chickens, and then life will be very good.

When I saw this recipe in Jan Scott’s new book, Oven to Table, I knew it had to be the first recipe I would try from the book.  She mentions that it is a brunch staple at her place, and I can see why.  With a hash brown crust, this totally sings breakfast food!  But we have been know to eat breakfast for dinner, so I would make it for dinner for us.  And of course, leftovers could be eaten for breakfast, lunch or midnight snack as well!

The recipe comes together so easily.  You’ll love it.  It begins with a couple of grated potatoes.  She states to use russet potatoes.  I only had Yukon Gold potatoes in the bin, so naturally I used these.  Grate them into a tea towel and the squeeze all the excess water out over the sink by twisting the towel together around the potato shards.  I had a lot of liquid, which could be because of the type of potatoes I used.  I  thought I had gotten most out in the towel. But in the end it was just fine.  I found that I did have to soak up some excess liquid once the potatoes mixed with an egg and seasoning had been pressed into the springform pan. I just used a couple of paper towels to pat over the surface, and all was great.  After I had soaked up the liquid, I did add a bit more seasoning, just because I like to notice my pepper, and a bit of heat.

Speaking of spring form pans.  This crust can be spread out into a 9 inch pie plate as well.  Both will work just fine.  I just like the idea of a springform pan, for presentation purposes. But as Jan points out, unless you are using a glass pie plate, you may not get the sides or bottom of the crust completely browned.  The potato will be totally cooked and kind of crispy, but it just won’t be highly coloured.  I was fine with this.  Just don’t be worried if your crust doesn’t come out nice and golden brown at the bottom when you remove a slice.  Mine didn’t either, but it sure tasted great.  Anyhoo, the crust gets baked off to set it, and start the browning process.  The top edges were nice and crispy in no time.  And yes, the potato crust turns perfectly firm, it doesn’t fall apart at all once the side wall is removed from the pan when the quiche is cooled.  It really keeps its shape.

After the crust had cooled a bit, it was time for the filling.  Simple.  Eggs beaten with cream.  Her recipe calls for 5% light cream.  Yeah, well, I only had whipping cream in the fridge.  So you know I used it!  Add some room temperature goat cheese, and lovely amount of freshly chopped dill, and some seasoning.  We love our heat, so I added the chilli flakes, as well as some espelette pepper.

Now here comes the fun part.  It is just fine as it is.  A simple classic quiche.  But I need more for my tastebuds to be happy.  So let’s add some stuff.  You could add sliced cherry tomatoes, quartered artichoke hearts, lightly steamed or sautéed broccoli or cauliflower florets.  How about some trimmed asparagus spears?  If you want to take this out of a vegetarian meal, some lightly crisped bacon or sausage would be great with the goat cheese and dill, and it would keep with the breakfast theme.  I just looked into the crisper and saw half of a red onion. Yep, that is what I would use this time around.  I just sliced it cross wise, keeping the gnarly end attached to hold the layers together as I spread them out on top of the filling. But you could slice them into rounds and strew them about, a la Ottolenghi!  (see Ottolenghi’s Cauliflower Cake ) And because they baked off, their sharpness when raw turned into a softer flavour, not at all distracting from the quiche filling itself.

It baked up perfectly.  It was set all around, barely jiggly in the centre which meant that it would continue to set as it sat on the counter.  You really don’t want to serve quiche right away.  It is best after it has completely set and cooled down to room temperature.  Yes, quiche is great at room temperature.  Of course you can reheat it gently the next day if so desired.  But don’t feel bad if someone comes in late to breakfast, and you only have slices of room temp quiche available.  Perfectly acceptable.  For slicing through the filling and cooked onions (or any other veggie for that matter) you want a very sharp serrated knife.  And don’t press down, just saw gently back and forth till it goes through all the layers.

For lunch or light dinner, we always have quiche with a side salad.  If I am grabbing a piece in the morning for breakfast, I have been known to heat it up in the toaster oven, and eat it with a drizzle of ketchup and a slice of toast!

The reason I really like this recipe, is the crust.  I have my own quiche recipe here on the blog, and it is crustless.  I know it sounds funny that I, a baker of countless pies, like my quiche crustless.  It is my way of regulating just how much gluten and pastry I personally partake of.  Wheat flour doesn’t absolutely love me, so I choose my battles carefully.  It is so much easier to eat a slice of quiche without the crust, than say, blueberry or pumpkin pie!!  So having a potato based crust, means that I am still honouring my attempt to curb gluten even a little.  Here is my own quiche recipe if you want to compare one day: Romanesco and Cheddar Crustless Quiche

Jan’s book is filled with so many delicious ideas.  I am totally enamoured with her Baked Oatmeal and Pear Breakfast Pie with Walnut Streusel Topping.  Definitely on the list to try.  She has a fabulous Caldo Verde recipe as well.  It’s a Portuguese potato and greens soup with chorizo and kale.  Definitely intrigued.  And doesn’t Quinoa Tabbouleh with Cherries and Feta sound amazing?!  You’ll simply have to pick up a copy of Oven to Table and try these all out yourself.  The recipes are easy, one pot, pan or baking sheet meals, perfect for weekdays or crowd entertaining.  For her book, and more great recipes on her blog, head on over to Family Bites. She really cooks for families, making approachable and practical dishes that still taste good.  Exactly what sings to me, and what I try to do here as well 😉

And one day, I will have a 200 year old stone farm house out in the Scottish highlands, with chickens wandering around the back door and into the kitchen.  And they will gladly share their eggs with me!

Love Jen.

4.67 from 3 votes

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Goat Cheese and Dill Quiche in a Hash Brown Crust

A perfect brunch, lunch or dinner contender.  Creamy filling is poured into a pre-baked grated potato crust. A lovely gluten free quiche to add to your collection. 

Course Main Course

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour 10 minutes

Cooling 15 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes

Servings 6

Ingredients

Hash Brown Crust

• 3 tbsp melted butter (45 ml)
• 2 large russet potatoes peeled
• 1 large egg lightly beaten
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 3/4 tsp fresh cracked black pepper

Egg Filling

• 6 large eggs
• 1 1/4 cups (310 ml) 5% cream
• 3 oz (85 grams) goat cheese, softened to room temperature
• 1/4 cup (60ml) chopped fresh dill, plus some extra for garnish if desired
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/8-1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/2 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
• Optional
• red onion sliced thin

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 425F (220C) Set a baking rack onto the lower third of the oven.

Hash Brown Crust

1. Brush the bottom and sides of a pie plate or springform pan with some of the melted butter. Set aside.
2. Using the largest holes of a box grater, shred the potatoes onto a clean dish towel. Gather the ends together, trapping the potato, and thoroughly wring out the the liquid over the sink.
3. Transfer the dried potatoes to a bowl and add the beaten egg, remaining melted butter, salt and pepper. Toss to combine.
4. Press the potato mixture to the pie plate with your fingers, covering the bottom and sides evenly.
5. Transfer the pie plate onto a baking sheet and place the baking sheet onto the baking rack set on the lower third of the oven. Bake until the potatoes are set and golden brown, about 20-25 minutes.
6. Remove the plate from the oven and let it cool for 10 minutes. Keep the pie plate on the baking sheet.
7. Reduce the oven temperature to 350F (180C) and move the rack to the centre of the oven.

Filling

1. Using the same bowl from above (just give it a quick wipe) whisk together the eggs, cream, goat cheese, dill, salt and both peppers.
2. Pour this into the slightly cooled pie shell.

3. At this point you can add the thinly sliced red onion pieces, gently placing them on top of the filling.  Or add any filling as described below to the beaten filling before pouring into the crust.

4. Bake until the filling is set but soft, slightly puffed and golden brown. This should take betwen 40 and 45 minutes. It should barely jiggle in the centre.
5. Allow to cool on a rack for at least 15 minutes. This will allow the centre to continue cooking and set more. Garnish with extra dill if desired.

   If you baked this off with the onions on top, make sure you use a sharp serrated knife to gently cut through the onion to help keep it intact.  It may move a bit, but no worries.

Recipe Notes

Optional veggie additions: 8 or 9 spears of asparagus, ends trimmed, can be placed on top of the filling. Or lightly steamed (still keeping a good amount of crunch) broccoli or cauliflower florets can be added to the filling. 6 or so canned artichoke hearts, quartered would be amazing in this filling as well.

Don't be worried if your potatoes are completely browned- this may not happen unless you are using a glass pie plate.  They will still be completely cooked through and the sides will be firm.