Potato Crust Herb Quiche for TV wowed the judges on PBS with my grated potato and onion crust, filled with a summer herb and tomato quiche filling.
For The Love Of A Great Quiche
There’s something deeply satisfying about a quiche that skips the pastry and leans instead on what the garden and pantry offer in abundance.
This potato-crusted herb quiche was born from that instinct, grated potatoes pressed into a pan, baked until crisp at the edges and golden underneath, forming a rustic crust that’s both humble and indulgent.
It crackles ever so slightly when cut, grounding the dish in comfort before the filling even has its say.
Inspired By Herbs – Made Anytime Of Year
Inside, it’s pure summer. Fresh spinach wilts gently into the custard, homegrown tomatoes release their sweetness as they bake, and generous handfuls of cheese melt into every corner.
A small pinch of cayenne brings just enough heat to wake everything up, the way summer sun does after a cool morning.
It’s the kind of dish that feels equally right for a lazy weekend brunch, a light supper, or sliced cold the next day, proof that the simplest ingredients, treated with care, often make the most memorable meals.
Gluten-free Potato Crust
A potato crust is just a scrumptious way to enjoy quiche! It’s kind of like having home-fries with your eggs, it’s also kind of like having Latkes (potato pancakes), with your eggs.
I first thought to try making this potato crust because of the Potato Latkes I love to make for holiday brunches, with poached eggs and smoked salmon on top.
I’m so glad I ventured out to try this because a potato crusted quiche checks all the boxes for me and it’s a great way to have a gluten-free crust.
The crust bakes crisp and crunchy on the edges and bakes to a firm yet baked potato texture on the bottom. It’s easy to remove from the pan, once it cools slightly.
The one-bite deliciousness of potato, eggs, cheese or whatever else you like in your quiche, makes this quiche perfect for brunch, lunch or lite summer dinner!
Potatoes For The Crust On My Quiche!
Who doesn’t love potatoes! Crunchy, creamy or somewhere in the middle. That, is what this potato crust is like. Loaded with potassium, no gluten, yet makes the tummy feel happily full when eaten.
For an added element of nutrition, leave the potato skins on! Potatoes have quite a bit of starch, which is great as a binding agent. In fact, I use powdered potato starch instead of cornstarch or tapioca starch and it works beautifully to bind.
Potato Crust Binder
When making this crust from freshly grated potatoes, the starch in them also aids as a great binder in holding the crust together.
Therefore, little else is needed, other than the flavors chosen for the crust, of which I like either onion.
Potatoes also have a crazy amount of liquid in them, so this liquid needs to be squeezed out before baking.
I have seen a few potato crust recipes that just use thinly sliced potatoes, which really don’t form a crust at all, and the liquid in them makes the quiche soggy.
Grate the potatoes and squeeze the liquid out!
Herb Quiche
What a lovely way to serve eggs! Easy to make many for a gathering, or make several individual sizes for yourself and freeze some for later.
A quiche is really just a savory pie with anything you want in it. Usually, a quiche is made with a pastry crust, flour and butter.
Sometimes, a quiche can be made without a crust, more like a souffle, and what a spectacular Cheesy Souffle Recipe I have! Or, you could have a ‘made for TV’ quiche that becomes an entire meal.
The quiche I made with this potato crust was made in August, which meant my garden is bursting with lots of goodies to put in a lovely dinner quiche.
I chopped lots of fresh basil, sliced my lovely tomatoes, lots of cheese (because I am a cheese lover), and seasoned with just a little salt and cayenne pepper.
During winter months, I often make a spinach quiche with or without some type of meat, which tastes much like my Homemade Spanakopita.
How To Make My Potato Crust For An Herb Quiche
This crust couldn’t be easier! Potatoes with skins on, make for a crunchier yet darker looking crust, while peeled potatoes will look more like a pastry crust in color. The choice is yours.Â
Grate the potatoes with a box grater or a food processor attachment. Do the same with the onion, and allow both to sit in a colander to drain off the liquid.
Amazing how much liquid will drain from sliced potato so by all means, save the liquid to add to a soup!
Then squeeze the remaining liquid out and place the mixture in a large bowl. Season, toss and transfer to the quiche baking plate. Press, press, press the mixture into the pie pan just as you would a pastry crust.Â
Bake on high heat for about 20 minutes, lower the heat and add the quiche filling, and bake until firm and crust is crunchy!
My Potato Crust Herb Quiche Prepared For TV
Isn’t it the ultimate compliment, for a recipe you create, when you get to prepare it on national TV; for a panel of judges!
Well, that’s what happened to this potato crust herb quiche, and me!
The Great American Recipe with PBS, not only had me make this recipe, air it on national TV but also included my recipe in their cookbook!
I’m telling you, this recipe is fabulous!
Ingredients Needed
- Potatoes – The heart of this quiche begins with potatoes, humble, grounding, and endlessly generous. Grated and pressed into the pan, they transform into a crisp, golden crust with tender pockets inside. They bring both structure and comfort, replacing pastry with something more rustic and deeply satisfying.
- Onion – Onion adds quiet sweetness and depth, softening as it cooks and weaving itself through the filling. It’s the background note that makes everything else taste more like itself.
- Olive Oil – Olive oil helps the potatoes crisp and carries warmth through the dish. It adds a subtle fruitiness that keeps the quiche feeling light, even with all its richness.
- Potato Starch – A small but mighty ingredient, potato starch draws out excess moisture from the grated potatoes, ensuring the crust bakes up crisp rather than soggy. It’s the secret that gives the crust its confidence.
- Salt – Salt sharpens and clarifies every layer, from the potatoes to the custard. It’s what pulls sweetness from the tomatoes and balances the richness of the cheese and eggs.
- Cayenne Pepper – Just a pinch is enough. Cayenne brings gentle heat, a quiet spark that lingers on the palate without overwhelming the garden-fresh flavors.
- Eggs – Eggs are the glue and the silk of the filling, setting softly in the oven to create that classic quiche texture, tender, custardy, and rich without being heavy.
- Spinach – Fresh spinach folds in a note of green vitality. It wilts down quickly, adding color, nutrients, and a clean, earthy contrast to the creamy filling.
- Lemon – A touch of lemon brightens the whole dish. Its acidity lifts the richness of the eggs and cheese, making each bite feel fresh and awake.
- Butter – Butter brings depth and indulgence, rounding out sharp edges and lending a soft richness that makes the quiche feel celebratory rather than everyday.
- Fresh Herbs – Fresh herbs, whatever the garden or your kitchen windowsill offers, infuse the quiche with fragrance and life. They echo the season, reminding us that this is a dish rooted in abundance.
- Grated Cheese – Cheese is the comfort factor, melting into pockets of savory goodness. It binds flavors together and adds that irresistible, golden finish.
- Plum Tomatoes – Plum tomatoes offer sweetness without excess moisture. As they roast, they concentrate and soften, becoming little bursts of summer in every slice.
Equipment Needed
- Box Grater or Food Processor (Grater Attachment) – This is where the transformation begins. Grating the potatoes creates the texture needed for a crisp, cohesive crust. A box grater offers a slower, hands-on rhythm, while a food processor speeds things along, both work beautifully.
- Strainer – Essential for removing excess moisture from the grated potatoes. This simple step is what allows the crust to bake up golden and crisp rather than soft and steamy.
- Large Mixing Bowl – A generous bowl gives you space to work, tossing potatoes, folding in greens, and blending the custard without rushing. It’s a quiet invitation to cook with intention.
- Quiche Pan or Baking Dish – This is the vessel that holds it all together. A quiche pan highlights the crisp edges of the potato crust, while a simple baking dish lends a more rustic feel. Use what you have; both tell their own story.
- Cutting Board and Chopping Knife – For preparing onions, herbs, and tomatoes. Sharp tools make prep feel effortless and keep the process grounded and enjoyable.
- Measuring Cup and Measuring Spoons – These ensure balance, enough richness, enough brightness, enough heat, so each ingredient has room to shine.
- Hand Mixer or Whisk – To gently bring the eggs together into a smooth, airy custard. A whisk keeps things traditional and tactile; a hand mixer offers ease and speed.
- Oven – The final collaborator. It’s where raw ingredients become cohesive, where the potato crust crisps, the filling sets, and the kitchen fills with that unmistakable promise of something wonderful.
If This Quiche Was Enticing On Your TV Screen Then Let’s Get It On Your Plate!
This is the kind of recipe that meets you where you are. It works just as beautifully for a slow weekend brunch as it does sliced and packed for lunches, served warm from the oven or enjoyed cold the next day.
It reminds me that good cooking doesn’t need to entertainment on a TV screen, instead make it a part of one of the favored recipes you make for yourself and your family. A simple structure, endlessly adaptable, returning again and again to the table in new and familiar ways.
Potato Crust Herb Quiche For TV
Equipment
- Box Grater or Food Processor
- Large Quiche Dish
Ingredients
- 3 8-oz Russet Potatoes grated with peels on or off
- 1 Onion, small grated
- 1 tbsp Olive oil
- 1 tbsp Potato starch
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 tbsp Butter
- pinch Cayenne pepper
- Quiche Filling or your own
- 1 tbsp Olive oil
- 1 tbsp Lemon juice
- 2 Garlic cloves
- 1 1/2 cups Fresh spinach rough chopped
- 8 Large eggs
- 1 1/2 cups Shredded Cheese
- pinch Salt
- pinch Cayenne pepper
- 2 tbsp Fresh Oregano or Basil leaves
- 2-3 Plum tomatoes thinly sliced
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425
- Grate the potatoes and onion, drain the liquid out, then squeeze the remaining liquid out and transfer the potatoes and onion mixture to a large bowl.
- Sprinkle in the potato starch, salt and pepper and mix well.
- Drizzle the olive oil in and mix again.
- Place the pat of butter into the baking dish and set in the oven just long enough to melt the butter, remove. Brush the dish with the melted butter and transfer the potato mixture to the buttered baking dish. Press, press and press the potato mixture into the pan, just as you would a pie crust, covering the bottom and up the sides of the dish.
- Bake for 20 minutes.
- While baking, mix the quiche filling and have it ready to add to the crust.
- Quiche Filling
- In a skillet, over medium heat, add the olive oil, garlic and lemon juice, along with the rough chopped spinach. Put a lid on for just a few minutes until the spinach is wilted. Remove from the stove.
- In a large bowl, whisk the eggs until light and well mixed. Whisk in the cheese, salt, pepper and fresh herbs. Fold in the spinach mixture along with the juices in the pan.
- Lower the oven to 350. Remove the crust. Pour the quiche mixture into the hot crust, layer the tomatoes on top and place back in the oven to continue baking until the filling no longer jiggles and is firm to the touch, about 25-30 minutes.
- Cool just enough to slide a knife gently around the edges of the crust, slice and serve.
I believe the table... that place that draws people to gather, is the most powerful symbol of togetherness. All that happens before the table is set, the planning, the gathering, the preparing, are all an intricate part of the dance that create the mood of celebration to share with friends and loved ones.