Smoked Salmon Quiche with Roast Potato Crust
It's got goat cheese, it's got broccoli, it's got creme fraiche - it's heaven
This really is a weekend meal. A decadent, ‘I don’t have to do anything else today and I don’t care’ quiche. Maybe that’s what I should have called it.
The roast potato crust is easier than it sounds. Unlike making a pastry from scratch, it’s all about pushing and shaping the soft boiled potato into a tart crust shape. Takes a gentle hand and a bit of time, but it’s not fiddly.
This recipe was done using a 28cm frypan, but you could use a cake tin with high sides, or a springform cake tin. You can also swap out the broccoli for another green vegetable like zucchini or spinach, as long as you squeeze all the water out of them before using. You can also omit the smoked salmon altogether and add in other veg to make it vegetarian.
You will need: A decent knife, a chopping board, a frypan that can go in the oven, a big pot for boiling, a whisk, a big spoon for stirring, and a glass or cup measurement to shape the crust with
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Ingredients
4 eggs
200-300g smoked salmon
100g feta or goat cheese
1 medium head broccoli
200mL creme fraiche
100mL cream
Small bunch of parsley
1kg washed potatoes
125g butter
Olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Method
Preheat your oven to 250C.
Cut the potatoes into large chunks - around 4-5cm.
Cut your broccoli into florets, and then cut those florets into thin slices.
Cut the stalks into very thin slices. Discard the big woody end of the stalk.
Finely chop the parsley, including the stalks. Cut off the woody ends of the stalks and finely slice the rest.
Boil the potatoes in salted water until you can push a fork into the pieces - fork tender, they call it.
Drain the potatoes. Add butter to the still-warm pot that you boiled the potatoes in. Put the cooked potatoes into the pot and toss with the butter. Add a sprinkle of salt and pepper.
Oil your roasting pan. You can add baking paper, like I have, if you are worried about it sticking. This will mean that the potatoes will caramelise, but not crisp up at the bottom. They’ll just steam. Which is still tasty, just not crispy.
Lay the butter covered potatoes in the bottom of the pan. Tip any leftover butter over them. It might look like a lot of butter, but trust me - it’s the right amount.
Using a cup measurement or a glass, starting from the middle, push down on the potatoes to crush them. Do it slowly, or you’ll just end up with mashed potato in the centre of the pan. As they crush and become one, push them outwards towards the edge of the pan.
When you get to the edge, push them upwards to create the sides of the crust. Keep pushing gently until you have an even bottom and sides of the crust, and the bottom has no holes in it. Smush the potatoes together to create a seal.
You can brush the tops of the crust with olive oil for extra crispiness, if you like.
Bake for 20 minutes or until the bottom of the potato crust has dried out and the tops start to crisp.
Add the broccoli to the potato crust and cook for another 5 minutes. This will just give the broccoli a head start on cooking before adding the other filling.
Turn the oven down to 160C. Allow the potato crust to cool slightly. Make your egg mixture while it does.
Mix the eggs with the chopped parsley.
Whisk very well until the yolk and white are completely incorporated.
Add the cream and creme fraiche. Whisk until well incorporated and you start to see bubbles. Add a teaspoon of salt and some cracked black pepper.
Cut the smoked salmon into small pieces. I find it easiest to keep it on its little gold tray and cut it into squares.
Add the smoked salmon to the broccoli in the potato crust. You will have to move the broccoli around and place some of the salmon underneath to get it spread evenly. Or not! You could have a big blob of the salmon in one section if you like. It’s your tart.
Crumble the feta and use the same method of distribution, unless you really want a big block of feta in one place (this is not a TikTok bake).
Pour the egg mixture into the crust, moving the salmon and broccoli around with a big spoon as you go. The pepper will have sunk to the bottom, so use your spoon to stir it around as you pour.
If you end up with too much egg mixture, fill it up to the top and then just dump the rest. The filling might come up over the top. This is OK, if you are not totally concerned with the presentation. If you are, very gently tip a bit out and wipe down the sides of the pan.
Bake in the oven for 45 minutes to an hour, or until the quiche is golden brown on top and there is very little liquid when you stick a knife in the middle.
Serve in big slices.
