Quiche!

No one can say it the way my lovely friend, Emily does. (P.S. She’s getting married soon!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! *Jumping up and down*) Emily loves funny words and has taken to use ‘quiche’ or her version, “Keish” as a joyful exclamation. When I decided to make it for dinner the other night, it definitely popped into my head in her voice. (Did that make sense??) This recipe is not innovative particularly, but it is delicious. It’s also the perfect meal if your husband does shift work and is on nights. His breakfast, my dinner. Everybody’s happy!

If you’re like me, you sometimes feel too lazy to make a regular quiche crust, or you suddenly realized you didn’t have as much time as you thought before your husband needed to be out the door for work. Either way, I have an alternative! It’s even a bit healthier, and we liked the taste and texture much better. I’m talking about a potato or hashbrown crust. It was nice and soft, easy to cut, crispy on the edges and complimented the filling very well.

Here’s the recipe I used, though I admit I’m always a big fan of throwing in whatever I have around. The core of these ingredients- spinach, cheese, onions, and mushrooms are staples for me and I use them together all the time. Oh and garlic. Whenever I find a recipe online, I usually double the garlic. Don’t judge me. If you’re not a huge garlic lover, leave it out, or reduce it quite a bit. Anyway, this is my new favorite quiche recipe, which can only be made better with fancier cheese. Now go make QUICHE!

Caramelized Onion Quiche
Makes 1 quiche, 8 hearty slices

POTATO CRUST
3 cups of grated potatoes (sweet potatoes would be a delicious alternative!)
1 egg
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

QUICHE FILLING
2 large sweet onions, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic
1 cup sliced brown mushrooms
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
6 cooked bacon slices, crumbled
2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
1/2 cup frozen chopped spinach
1 1/2 cups half-and-half
4 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Butter a deep dish pie pan. Dry the grated potatoes as much as possible with something like a paper towel. Removing the water will make the crust crispier. Combine the potatoes with the rest of the crust ingredients. Press the crust into the pie dish, lining the sides. Be sure it is pressed together very well. Brush the top with butter as well, and bake for 20 minutes, or until browned.

Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees.

While piecrust is baking, cook onions, garlic, and mushrooms in olive oil, and butter, in a large skillet over medium heat. Stir often and cook for 15 to 20 minutes, until onions are caramel colored. Remove from heat and add bacon crumbles to pan with onions.

In a medium bowl, whisk together half-and-half, eggs, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Mix with onion mixture. Add cheddar cheese and spinach. Spoon filling into the pre-baked crust. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes at 350 degrees, or until set. Cool 15 minutes before serving.