Each week one of the things I “do” is chat about foods and herbs from the Bible on Thursday mornings with Matt Swaim. He’s the host of the Sonrise morning show podcast aired on Sacred Heart radio. 

Matt is a foodie like me. Today we talked about a recipe shared by my neighbor, Erin Phillips. It’s a grain free quiche, using potatoes as a crust, which lends texture and good potato flavor to the filling. Plus no rolling out! Erin’s photo says it all.

Baking it in a cast iron skillet guarantees a crisp crust. 

Some main ingredients like eggs, onions and dairy are Biblical foods, so this yummy quiche was a perfect topic for my cold weather comfort food series.

It’s different enough from a pastry crust quiche to make it a special (think Valentine’s Day), yet doable, breakfast, lunch or supper.

Notice the proportion for eggs to milk may be higher than a regular quiche recipe. This makes for a more substantial filling. 

Check out Matt’s tip below for subbing in sweet potatoes for the creamers.  He always adds a different twist! 

Bacon quiche with potato crust

Best to use a boiling potato here as indicated, since true baking potatoes may not have enough moisture to make a good crust. 

Ingredients

Crust

1-1/2 pounds baby “creamer” potatoes, uncut and unpeeled 

1 tablespoon salt plus more for sprinkling on crust

Pepper

Filling

8 slices bacon, diced

1/2 cup onion, diced

5 eggs

1-1/2 cups half & half 

1 teaspoon salt

3/4 teaspoon pepper

1/4 tsp smoked or regular paprika (optional)

1-1/2 to 2 cups favorite cheese, shredded

Handful fresh greens, shredded (optional)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400.

Crust

Add potatoes and enough cold water to cover. Add salt.  Bring to and cook until tender, about 20-30 minutes.  Drain and set aside. Keep warm (it’s easier to mash them when warm).

Filling

While potatoes cook, cook bacon until crisp in 10-inch cast iron skillet or oven safe skillet. Remove to plate and leave fat in pan. 

Add onions to fat and cook until golden. Remove to plate with bacon.

Add potatoes to skillet in single layer.  

Using bottom of a glass or measuring cup, press potatoes firmly into bottom and about 1 inch up the sides, closing gaps to form a complete crust. Sprinkle with a bit of salt and pepper.

Whisk eggs well. This helps add air for good texture. Add half and half, salt, pepper and paprika. Whisk to incorporate a bit more air.

Stir in cheese, onion, bacon and greens. Pour into crust. 

Bake 25-30 minutes, or until filling is set and cooked.

Let cool on rack about 10 minutes.

Swap it out

Instead of cast iron, use a glass casserole, like Pyrex. Spray with cooking spray. (You’ll still need to cook bacon and onions in a skillet).

Swap out real thin rounds of sweet potato for the Yukon gold, and just lay them shingle style on bottom of pan. No need to cook ahead of time, just make sure they’re cut real thin.

Pour filling on top and reduce heat to 375. Bake until set and cooked, about 35-40 minutes or so.

Make it vegetarian

Leave bacon out. Use a bit of butter to saute onions.