Grade: A
Time it takes: 1 hour and 5 minutes (10 minutes prep, 55 minutes baking) - but don't forget to take your hash browns out of the freezer to thaw before you get started
Yield: 9" quiche
Source: recipe courtesy of Paule Deen via foodnetwork.com (Hash Brown Quiche)
This was one of the other bits I had wanted to make for Christmas breakfast but couldn't muster the energy to accomplish. But, since I had the ingredients on hand anyway, I made it a couple days after Christmas - when I was feeling much more alive.
I've made this quiche before so I already knew it was tasty. I like the salty flavour of the ham and the egg and cheese combo, plus the hash brown crust is the best. I've had quiches before where there is so much packed into it that it loses the egg taste, I prefer a few add-ins so that you can still tell there is egg going on. But, you can always play around with the ingredients based on what you have on hand. Keeping the structure of the recipe but changing up the embellishments. Different cheese, different meat, throw in a veggie for good measure. Plus a quiche is something you can serve to guests because it always looks so nice, and it doesn't have you slaving in the kitchen the whole time.
Click below to expand for the recipe!
- 3 cups shredded frozen hash browns, thawed and drained
- 4 tablespoons butter, melted
- 4 eggs, beaten
- 1 cup half and half
- 1 cup diced cooked ham
- 1 cup shredded cheddar
- salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 450 F.
Gently press the drained hash browns between paper towels to dry them. In a 9" pie dish, toss the hash browns with the melted butter and press them down into the bottom of the dish and up the sides to form a crust. Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown and starting to crisp.
In the meantime, combine the remaining ingredients in a mixing bowl. When the hash brown crust is ready pour the egg mixture over it and return to the oven. Lower the oven temperature to 350 F and bake for about 30 minutes, until the quiche is lightly browned on top and puffy in the middle. If you have a depression in the center, put it back in the oven until the whole thing is puffed up and set. Cut into 8 pieces and serve.