My family loves hash browns. We also love quiche. So why not bring them together, right? This Ham & Cheese Quiche with Hash Brown Crust is also a great way to make a gluten free quiche. The crust is always the tricky part to make gluten free, so using hash browns is a delicious solution!
The Crust
To make my life easier, I use the bagged Simply Potatoes brand of shredded hash browns. Although I do use frozen hash browns or grate fresh potatoes at times, I prefer the refrigerated Simply Potatoes because they don’t need to be defrosted and don’t have excess water that needs to be squeezed out. And of course, they taste great too!
Crispy hash browns are delicious on their own, but I like layers of flavor in everything I make. Therefore, you will notice that my Hash Brown Crust has been well seasoned. The salt, pepper, garlic and Herbs de Provence probably don’t raise an eyebrow. But if melted bacon drippings raises an eyebrow (or two), let me explain why I use this ingredient. It has a lot of flavor and smokiness. That flavor lends itself to egg dishes. Especially this one with ham in it. Think of Emeril Lagasse’s famous saying, “Pork fat rules!” And I couldn’t agree more!
Where do you get bacon drippings? Whenever I make bacon, I pour the drippings into a mason jar and store it in the fridge. This way I always have some on hand. If you don’t have plans to make bacon before making this recipe, no worries! You can use butter or olive oil as a substitute. The end result of the flavor will be different, but it won’t taste bad. I definitely encourage you to save your bacon drippings in the future though. I use them to grease the pan when I make pancakes and replace olive oil with it in roasted potato and vegetable recipes as well.
The Filling
The filling for this Ham & Cheese Quiche with Hash Brown Crust is super easy and forgiving. You can use any type of ham you like. It can be sliced, cubed, smoked or otherwise. Whatever type of ham you enjoy will be great. The same goes with the cheese. I like the combination of ham, gruyere cheese and Herbs de Provence. They are classic French flavors, but feel free to mix it up if you want to. The addition of scallions adds freshness. And the dry ground mustard does add nice flavor. Both will compliment a variety of cheeses and types of ham.
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Spicy Broccoli Quiche, Truffle Spinach Quiche, Make Ahead Sausage and Egg Souffle, Best Latkes Ever and Sweet Potato and Spice Latkes.
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Ingredients
For the Hash Brown Crust:
- 1 20oz. pkg shredded potatoes - I use Simply Potatoes brand shredded hash browns
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon Herbs de Provence
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt - less if using fine salt
- ¼ teaspoon fresh ground pepper
- 4 tablespoon bacon drippings/butter/olive oil - melted
For the Ham & Cheese Quiche Filling:
- 6 large eggs - lightly beaten with a fork
- 1 cup whole milk
- 8 oz. gruyere cheese - shredded
- 1 cup diced ham
- ½ cup scallions - sliced thinly
- 1 teaspoon dry ground mustard
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt - less if using fine salt
- ground pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Coat the inside of a 9 inch deep dish pie plate with 2 tablespoons of the melted bacon drippings (or butter/olive oil).
- In a mixing bowl, combine the hash browns, dry seasonings and the remaining 2 tablespoons of the melted bacon drippings (or butter/olive oil). Combine these well with a large spoon. Pour the mixture into the greased pie plate and press evenly into the bottom and sides of the dish.
- Bake the hash brown crust in the pie plate for 15 minutes. Remove and lower oven temp to 350 degrees.
- While the crust is baking, combine all of the filling ingredients in a large bowl. Mix with a large spoon until well combined. Pour the egg mixture into the pre-baked hash brown crust.
- Bake covered loosely with aluminum foil for 45 minutes. Remove foil and bake for an additional 15 minutes. If the edges start to get too dark, put the foil back on top and continue baking. Remove from the oven and let cool for about 10 minutes before cutting and serving.
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