Quiche with a Hash Brown Crust
Ingredients
4 tablespoons butter, melted, divided in half
1 package (400g) frozen shredded hash brown potatoes, thawed/or make your own
8 large eggs
1 cup whole milk
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup diced red onion
120g diced Pancetta
1 clove garlic, minced
1 TBLS minced, fresh oregano
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp coarse ground Pepper
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400F/200C degrees. Brush a 22cm springform pan with 2 TBLS melted butter. Line the sides of the pan with strips of waxed paper, brush paper with butter too. Be generous on the bottom of the pan so the potatoes don’t stick. If you don’t have a springform pan, don’t worry, it works just as well in a 22cm pie pan and then you don’t need the wax paper.
Squeeze as much excess moisture from hash browns as you can. The hash browns should be as dry as possible so the crust will get crispy. In a large bowl, mix thawed, drained hash browns with remaining butter, 1 egg, salt and pepper. Press hash brown mixture onto bottom and up the sides of your prepared pan. Press firmly to mold the potatoes against the edges. Place on a rimmed baking sheet; bake until set and the edges of the hash browns are lightly browned, about 20 to 25 minutes.
While the crust is baking, in a small skillet, sauté the pancetta until it’s crispy. Remove from skillet and drain on paper towels. Do not discard the bacon fat! Put red onions and garlic in the same skillet and sauté in the bacon fat until the onion is soft and the garlic is fragrant, about 3 minutes.
In a large bowl, whisk the remaining eggs and milk, then add the rest of the ingredients. Pour into prepared crust. Bake until set, 45 to 50 minutes. When it’s done, let it sit for 5 minutes, unmould Quiché, and peel off waxed paper before serving
