Fall in Maine has been beautiful. A little chilly, but delightfully sunny. We desperately need rain, and we were supposed to have a nor’easter Monday. Which was a sprinkle at best. So after hunkering down, I spent the rest of the work brainstorming a new project and cooking potato quiche with potato crust. I had an intense craving for Spanish tortilla, which I’ve made a lot recently with potatoes, eggs, and onions. I endeavored to make an easier potato-packed breakfast quiche that tasted just as good, and it turned out excellent.

Potato Quiche with Potato Crust

I’ve been feeling a little stir-crazy. Taking walks has helped. But my immediate circle has been swarmed with health issues, work stress, and the rumblings of new exciting projects. I’ve been in an especially introspective mood – trying to figure out what the next steps are for my passions and career. During the pandemic I really missed people. I discovered I was much more extroverted than I thought. So I’ve been thinking about ways to share my art and food with more people in person. More on that later. 

I’ve also had to be patient this week with projects and slow down. My mom was on vacation, so we’ve spent great time together. Last weekend marked the fall foliage festival in our town. I worked it one year, early into my entrepreneur dreams, selling cards and art prints. I only sold a few things, and I remember it being incredibly cold and wet. The weather was awful. My dad helped me set up and bought me hot chocolate after I nearly dropped from the cold. Then I had to go back the next day and do it again, on little sleep.

Craft Fairs and Non-Easters

I never did a craft fair again. Maybe I’ll try it again in the future in a more busy (and warm) venue. But it was really nice to visit the foliage festival with my parents and peruse the crafts and food stands. We stopped by after lunch, otherwise we would have made a day out of it. Indulged in haddock chowder or jerk chicken. Fresh popcorn or apple cider donuts. We still managed to make an afternoon out of it, and the weather was gorgeous. I fell back in love with my small town a little. 

After the non-nor’easter on Monday I focused my attention on my next recipe. I knew I wanted to make something with eggs because I wanted my painting to be bright yellow. I waffled back and forth about whether to make a latke crust with my beloved latke recipe or to make a full-on potato-packed quiche. So I did both. I also couldn’t get the Swiss chard and scallions cooked in butter from last week’s failed gnocchi dish out of my head. It was so incredible. Pungent, salty, creamy, and bitter. I decided to make it again and put it on top of my potato quiche. 

Double Fried Potatoes

In the middle of watching the newest live tennis tournament on Netflix, I decided to start my recipe. I thought back to my potato pave as I sliced potatoes. Yellow potatoes form the farm stand downtown. The farmers market is over for the season, which made me a little mellow on Thursday. Nevertheless, I found myself peeling potatoes and dunking thin slices in a bin of water to keep them from browning. I had to make a mountain for my potato pave. This time I only had to chop 4. 

Once I had a mound of translucent yellow discs, I dried them on a kitchen towel and heated my cast iron skillet. Which has seen a lot of action lately. Pork loin. Skillet pancakes. And sautéed greens. I added a glug of my good olive oil from my birthday to the skillet as it heated and spent the next 10 minutes lightly sautéing my potatoes. I added a little salt and garlic too. Ultimately I decided not to add onions, simply because my parents aren’t big onion fans. My mom already planned to have potato quiche for her lunch the next day. 

Spanish Tortilla-Inspired Quiche

When the potatoes were soft and lightly golden, I took them off the heat. In a Spanish tortilla, this is when you would mix them with a few whisked eggs. Then you return the mixture to your pan and cook it until just barely soft in the middle. It gets nice and round from the pan’s edges. But I wanted to make a quiche version in my cast iron skillet. I love a potato-crusted quiche, which my mom makes sometimes with store-bought tater tots. Delicious and simple. But I wanted to up the stakes with a delicious latke mixture. 

I grated the rest of my potatoes and squeezed the kitchen towel with all my might, letting out a waterfall of potato liquid. Which I added to my plants later – they must have liked it because I swear they grew over an inch overnight. Next I mixed my dried potato shreds in a bowl with cornstarch, egg, cheese, salt, and panko. My go-to latke recipe. I also added a squeeze of lemon for flavor, which makes everything better. My plan was to cook a big latke (or rosti) in my cast iron skillet in a bit of oil. Then pour my potato quiche filling in and bake it. 

Potato Crust

The next step was trial and error. I started by heating my pan and oiling it, spreading my latke mixture evenly over the bottom and sides. I cooked it on the stovetop and peeked under it with a spatula. It was starting to get golden and crisp. But I worried the top layer was still raw. So I carefully loosened and slid my giant latke onto a plate, flipping it back into the freshly oiled pan upside down to cook the other side. It worked great, and after a few minutes I felt confident in flipping the heat off and adding my filling. 

The filling is simple. 8 whisked eggs with cream, parmesan, and sour cream. I also added my sautéed potatoes from earlier and some fresh mozzarella. I contemplated adding my Swiss chard and scallions with butter, but I feared it would get lost. So I saved it for later. Once everything was well-mixed, I poured it into my skillet, over the latke crust. It was the perfect amount, almost reaching the top of the pan. I then carefully steadied it and slowly lowered it into my oven, trying not to spill any. And I managed to do it successfully. Not a drop. 

Scallion and Swiss Chard Topping

All that was left to do was wait for it to cook. Just until the middle jiggled a little. A typical custard or egg-dessert technique. It finishes cooking after you take it out of the oven. So I did, and it looked great. It smelled amazingly of garlicky potatoes, cheese, egg, and olive oil. Reminiscent of holiday latkes and Spanish tortilla. I let it rest for a bit and then slid the beast out of the pan after loosening the sides a little. It helps to use a nonstick pan if you can. Then I sliced it, took some photos, and it went off to the fridge to settle. 

The next day came and I had a rough morning. Riddled with anxiety, for seemingly no reason. My mom and I watched tennis and welcomed the distraction. Thankfully we had potato quiche to eat for lunch because neither of us had much energy. I was excited, still, to make my Swiss chard and scallion mixture for the top. I put a couple slices in the oven to warm and started sautéing my greens in the same cast iron skillet as the day before. Then I added a bit of butter, salt, and lemon, just like last time. I gave it a taste, which was that same delightful bitter, buttery, bright green essence. 

Potato Quiche for Lunch

When the quiche was ready I plated the best triangle to photograph. I put a dollop of my greens on top along with some potato chips for garnish. My mom loved it. The edges of the quiche seemed perfectly packed with sliced potatoes, which reminded me of Spanish tortilla. When I was all done with my photos I sat down and enjoyed lunch. The eggs were soft and perfectly cooked. The potatoes inside were just the right doneness with a slight toothsome quality and delightful notes of olive oil. The crust was garlicky and crisp. And the mozzarella inside the batter popped and melted beautifully. 

My greens on top added so much flavor. Acidity and bitterness. Thank you to my neighbor who regularly gives us Swiss chard to cook with. I used the rest of my farmers market scallions, too, which I will miss. The potato chips on top added a nice crunch too. This is a simple, hearty recipe that celebrates eggs and potatoes. Age old best friends. It makes the perfect brunch to make a day ahead and reheat. I can’t wait to cook my greens again and see how it works in different dishes. Pasta preferably. 

Fried Chicken and Bakeries

My mom and I just spent the day playing tourist in Maine. Which is great to do every once in a while. We hit up a bakery and found an orange-soaked chocolate cake with ganache on top as well as tiramisu cookies. Then we had fried chicken for lunch at a place with rave reviews. It was a sunny, happy drive home with stops at our favorite grocery stores. Then we took a walk and watched the new Great British Bake Off episode. A great day, all in all. I also worked on a custom painting and further developed a new idea. I can’t wait to see how it comes to fruition. 

Overall I’m feeling hopeful. Calm. Ready to hunker down for late fall and winter. My mind is exploding with recipe ideas. The chocolate orange sheet cake is calling to me. I would love to make my own version with a homemade ganache infused with orange zest. I still have a few chocolate bars from my grandmother. We’re hoping for good news from friends who have been sick and from business endeavors. I still have a couple pieces of potato quiche to eat. So all is well. 

Thank you for reading! Be sure to check out my Etsy for 100’s or recipe cards and art prints. Use code THEFORKEDRING for 25% off. 

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Potato Quiche with Potato Crust

A delicious potato-packed quiche with a latke crust and potato-cheese filling

Course Breakfast, Main Course

Cuisine American

Keyword potato, quiche

Prep Time 1 hour hour

Cook Time 25 minutes minutes

Servings 6

Author theforkedring

Ingredients

• 4 large yellow gold potatoes
• 1 large yellow onion
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 9 whole eggs
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• 3 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar
• 1/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
• 1/3 cup sour cream
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup mozzarella

Instructions

• Peel all 4 potatoes and add to a bowl of cold water to keep from browning.
• Slice 2 potatoes on a mandolin or by hand into 1/8" discs. Keep slices in more cold water.
• Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a seasoned, nonstick cast iron skillet over medium heat. Chop onions into thin slices.
• Dry your potato slices on kitchen towels. Sauté with chopped onions in the olive oil for 5-10 minutes until translucent and lightly golden brown. Season with 1 tsp salt and pepper to taste.
• Remove potatoes and onion with a slotted spoon and let rest on a plate. Turn off heat to pan.
• Shred the other two peeled potatoes into a clean kitchen towel. Then, wrap the towel into a ball and tightly squeeze all the water out.
• Add dried potatoes to a clean large bowl. Add 1 whole egg, cornstarch, 1 tsp salt, 1/4 cup parmesan, and all the shredded cheddar. Once mixed, add the panko breadcrumbs just until combined.
• Heat your cast iron skillet over medium heat again and add 1 tbsp of olive oil. Then spread your latke mixture over the bottom and halfway up the sides of the pan, evenly.
• Cook over medium-high heat for 5 minutes, until golden brown on the bottom. Loosen the crust with a spatula to check doneness.
• Remove the pan from heat and slide a large spatula under the whole crust. You should be able to gently pick it up and flip it upside down without breaking it. If not, you can slide it out onto a plate and then flip it back into the pan.
• Cook the other side for 5-10 minutes until lightly golden brown. Loosen the bottom gently if it begins to stick and add a little bit more olive oil. Once cooked, remove pan from heat.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the 8 eggs with 1 tsp salt, sour cream, and heavy cream. Then, add your sautéed potatoes and onions and mozzarella, broken up into small pieces.
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Place skillet with crust on the oven rack, then pour egg mixture onto the potato crust. It should mostly fill the pan.
• Carefully place the oven rack back in and close the oven door, cooking for 20 – 25 minutes until the middle of the quiche lightly jiggles when shaken. Let cool to room temperature for 15-20 minutes before serving.

Notes

• Be careful when flipping or sliding your latke crust to not splatter yourself with hot oil. 
• If making the swiss chard and scallion mix for garnish, simply sautéed chopped swiss chard and scallions in 2 tbsp olive oil for 4-5 minutes. Add 6 tbsp butter, a pinch of sea salt, and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice (about 1/2 a lemon).