Potato Quiche

What to do with all these potatoes?

In my last post, I talked about last season’s potato harvest. Beginning in September, we harvested over 200lbs of Yukon Gold and German Butterball potatoes and we’ve been eating them ever since.

Potatoes are one of my favorite foods because they're so versatile and, recently, I discovered a new way to use them. I’m going to share my recipe for Potato Quiche, which only takes about 25 minutes to make and allows for endless variations.

This recipe is very non-specific, because so much depends on your preferences and chosen fillings, which are endless. Mainly, it’s meant to be more inspirational than instructional.

First, heat your oven to 425F degrees and coat a muffin pan lightly with oil.

Shred enough potatoes with a mandolin to line several muffin cups - however many you like. Mix the shredded potatoes in a bowl with a bit of olive oil before lining the cups. I sometimes add some dried rosemary to them, too. Press the potatoes down firmly in the cups and bake for 10 minutes.

You just want to bake these until they are crispy but not fully cooked. Keep in mind that once you add the filling, they will go back in the oven for another 15 minutes or so.

In another bowl, make a filling to go inside the cups.

I learned long ago that the key to making a nice quiche filling is to add more yolk than egg. For instance, if you use 2 eggs, use an additional yolk for thickness. And a splash of cream or milk. To that foundation, you can add just about anything else: cheese, mushrooms, onions, peppers, and herbs… go crazy.

Now use a ladle to fill the cups nearly full and return to the oven for another 15 minutes or so, until your quiche is golden, but not runny.

The texture of these quiches is really nice: crispy on the outside and tender throughout. I serve them with some sour cream and a bit of cilantro or chives.

After playing with this recipe for awhile, I have begun using the same general method to make larger potato quiches in my cast iron pans. I’ve started added shredded potatoes to the filling as well. When my radishes ripen, I shred those, too, and mix them with the potatoes for a more unique flavor. Also, spaghetti squash is deliciously sweet with shredded potatoes.

I make these little quiches for breakfast a lot. They really do take about 25 minutes, whether in muffin cups or in cast iron. I suspect they might freeze well, too, although I haven’t tried that yet. Let me know if you do.