Potato-Crusted Cauliflower Quiche

Skip the pastry dough entirely. This quiche uses a crust made from shredded potatoes bound with egg and grated onion, pressed into a pie pan and baked until golden and crispy. It’s naturally gluten-free and adds a savory, hash brown-like base that holds up under the creamy filling.

Salting and squeezing the shredded potatoes before building the crust is a step you cannot skip. Raw potatoes hold a surprising amount of water, and that moisture will steam during baking, leaving you with a soggy, crumbly crust instead of a firm, golden shell. Ten minutes with salt draws the water out, then a firm squeeze in a towel or colander finishes the job.

The cauliflower filling gets sauteed with onions, garlic, basil, and thyme before it goes into the crust. Cooking the vegetables first concentrates their flavor and drives off moisture so the custard sets properly. Cheddar cheese goes in two layers, half under the vegetables and half on top, for melted cheese in every bite.

Chef Tips

• Spray the crust with cooking oil after 30 minutes of baking. This helps the exposed edges crisp and brown evenly during the final stretch.
• Use the coarse side of a box grater for the potatoes. Fine shreds turn to mush and won’t form a sturdy crust.
• Let the quiche rest for 10 minutes after baking. The custard continues to set as it cools, and slices hold together much better.
• Flour your fingers when pressing the crust up the sides of the pan. The raw potato mixture is sticky and clings to everything.

Variations

• Swap cauliflower for broccoli florets and use Swiss cheese instead of cheddar for a broccoli-Swiss version.
• Add crumbled cooked bacon or diced ham to the filling for a heartier, protein-packed quiche.
• Stir a pinch of smoked paprika into the custard instead of regular paprika for a deeper, smokier flavor.