A mash up of two of my favourite brunch dishes - hash brown and quiche! This can be made using frozen shredded hash browns or you can shred your own (directions provided for both).
1cupmilk(preferably full cream, but low fat will also work)
3/4cupcream
Pinchof freshly grated nutmeg(optional)
1/2tspsalt
Black pepper
Filling
1/2tbspbutter
6 oz / 180g bacon, cut into large dice (about 1cm x 0.5cm / 2/3" x 1/5")
1small onion, diced (or half a large onion)
1garlic clove, minced
3/4cupgrated cheese(tasty, cheddar or gruyere)
Instructions
Preheat oven to 425F/220C with the oven shelf in the top 1/3 of the oven.
Grease a 9"/ 23cm pie dish (Note 2)
Hash Brown Crust
If shredding potatoes yourself, peel and grate the potatoes. Place the shredded potatoes into a colander and rinse for 10 seconds, using your hands to move the grated potatoes around, until the water runs clear.
Take a handful of the rinsed grated potatoes OR the thawed frozen shredded hash browns and squeeze the excess water out, then place into a large bowl. Repeat with remaining potato. You should have about 4 cups of shredded potato.
Add melted butter and salt and mix to combine.
Pour the shredded potato into the pie dish. Use a large dessert spoon to spread the hash browns over the base and side of the pie dish.
Use your hands or a spatula to pat down the base of the hash brown crust so it is fairly firmly packed.
Spray the hash brown crust with oil spray (I used olive oil spray).
Bake the crust for 30 minutes.
Prepare Filling & Egg Mixture
While the crust is baking, melt 1/2 tbsp butter in a fry pan over medium high heat.
Add onion, garlic and bacon into the fry pan. Saute until the onion is translucent and the bacon is just starting to brown (but not crisp).
Remove from the stove and set aside to cool slightly.
Place Egg Mixture ingredients in a bowl and whisk to combine.
Fill Quiche
When the crust is light golden brown on the surface of the base and golden brown on the walls of the crust (around 30 minutes), remove from the oven.
Scatter the bacon onion mixture across the base, then the cheese.
Then pour the Egg Mixture in.
Baking the Quiche
Return the quiche to the oven and turn the oven down to 180C/350F.
Bake for 25 minutes, or until the Filling is set. Test this either by inserting a skewer into the centre (it should come out clean) or by touching the centre gently (it should spring back).
Let it rest for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
1. You need to use starchy potatoes for hash browns as they breakdown when cooked, becoming nice and fluffy on the inside and golden and crunchy on the outside. The best to use are Russet (common in the US), dutch creams, King Edwards or red delight. However, great all rounders like golden delight, coliban, red rascal and Sebago (popular in Australia) still works great. I use Sebago which are the brushed potatoes you can get from any supermarket in Australia (ie. the ones with dirt on them). If you are based in the US, a great all rounder to use is Russet which I understand is one of the most widely used potatoes in the US. 2. You must use a pie dish that doesn't have a removable base otherwise you run a (high) risk of the filling leaking out and dripping to the floor of the oven while it bakes. Yes, I'm speaking from experience here. I tried both a springform cake tin and a quiche pan with a removable base. 2 of the 3 attempts, the filling leaked out (once onto the floor of the oven, the other onto the tray I put the pan on).3. This quiche reheats really well in the oven and lasts for 3 days in the refrigerator. I have not tried to freeze it yet but I am confident that it will work fine. Make sure to reheat it in the oven so the crust crisps up again.4. Nutrition assumes 8 servings. In my household, it serves 6 (sometimes 4!).