Marion’s Famous Quiche with a hash brown crust

This recipe originated from the Quiche Lorraine recipe out of the wonderful gluten free cookbook "Wheat-free Recipes and Menus" by Carol Fenster

I think I made it once according to the recipe, and then just started playing around with it. The hash brown crust is easy to make and better for you than pastry crust, plus it comes out of the pan easier. I like my quiche heavy on the fillings, light on the custard parts, so I always have a very dense quiche.

For those of you who I promised this to after CC’s fabulous holiday brunch. Ok, so its only March, it’s not that late. ;)

The Crust

3 cups, peeled and grated potatoes.
2 tablespoons cooking oil
1/2 teaspoon salt and dash pepper

Preheat oven to 425 degrees and oil or grease a 9" pie pan. Mix grated potatoes with cooking oil , salt and pepper. Dump into pie pan and pat into place so that sides and bottom are covered evenly. Potatoes should come up to top of pan on sides. Bake for 30 minutes or until lightly browned. Reduce oven temp to 350 degrees.

The Filling

Here’s where creativity strikes. You can pretty much go wild and if you make too much filling for your pie pan, just put it in a greased oven proof bowl or ceramic container and bake along with the quiche. Prepare the filling while the crust is baking for ultimate multi-tasking.

The Basic Custard Filling

4 large eggs
1/2 cup milk (or rice, soy, nut milks)
1/4 teaspoon salt
Dash pepper
Dash nutmeg 1 tablespoon tapioca starch (can also use corn starch)

Note: If you like more custard and less other filling, increase milk to 1c and decrease flavor ingredients]

The Flavors

Here are some of my favorites

Spinach, Cheese and Mushroom

1 package frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and well drained.
1/2 cup grated Romano cheese
Mushrooms, sliced.
1/2 onion, diced and sautéed until lightly brown

Apple, Ham and Cheese

1 peeled and grated Granny Smith apple
1 cup Ham, diced
3/4 cup grated Romano cheese
1/2onion, diced and sautéed until lightly brown

Other ingredients you might think about combining into your own unique flavor combo:

Chicken, turkey, red peppers, tomatoes, celery, carrots, bacon, different kinds of cheeses, fennel, shrimp, let your imagination run wild.

Crack eggs into a large bowl and beat until well mixed. Wisk in remaining custard filling ingredients in, making sure there are no lumps. Add in flavor ingredients and stir until mixed well. If mixture seems too dry, add a little more milk, one tablespoon at a time.

Pour into baked hash brown crust and return to 350 degree oven and bake for 45 minutes or until center is set and a knife inserted comes out clean. Let sit for 5 minutes before serving. Very good cold, hot and for lunch or breakfast the next day.