Asparagus Quiche with a Crunchy Hashbrown Crust
Crunchy, cheesy, aromatic with an explosion of spring asparagus. What more screams out – spring has arrived!It’s a beautiful golden potato crust filled with a fluffy egg mixture that embraces fresh herbs, Jarlsberg and Grana Padano cheese, bites of asparagus and then tops it all off with a dusting of Grana Padano cheese. Perfect for breakfast, brunch, lunch or a light dinner. Want to add your own touch or make it even more all-inclusive? Embellish the quiche with the addition of ham, bacon, sausage and/or mushrooms. As Shakespeare might have written if he made this quiche, “The world is your “Quiche”, not everyone may have wanted their world to be an oyster. But they’ll definitely want it to be your quiche.Here’s to Spring, Asparagus, Great Food and Amazing Friends!
Servings 6 people
Ingredients
- 1 pound Asparagus tough ends removed
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 3 tablespoons Shallots diced, about ½ a medium shallot
- 1 teaspoon Canola Oil
- 6 large Farm Fresh Eggs
- 1 ½ cups Heavy Cream
- 1 tablespoon Dijon Mustard
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ¼ teaspoon Pepper
- 1 ½ tablespoon Fresh Dill chopped
- 1 ½ tablespoons Fresh Parsley chopped
- 10 ounces Jarlsberg shredded, approximately 2 ½ cups
- ¼ cup Grana Padano grated
- 2 pounds Russet Potatoes peeled
- 1 teaspoons Kosher Salt
- ½ teaspoon Fresh Ground Pepper
- 2 tablespoons Unsalted Butter
Instructions
- Break off the tough ends of each asparagus stalk. Cut off the tips and cut the stalks into ½ to ¾ inch slices.
- Bring a small sauté pan with ½ inch of water and ½ teaspoon salt to a boil. Once boiling, add the asparagus and blanch for 2 minutes. Drain immediately and submerge asparagus pieces in a bowl of ice water. Once cooled, separate the tops (to be used onto top of the quiche) from the stalk pieces, dry and set the side.
- In a small sauté pan, heat 1 teaspoon canola oil. Once the pan and oil are hot, saute shallots for 1 ½ minutes. Remove from pan and set to the side to cool.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk eggs, heavy cream, Dijon, ½ teaspoon, ¼ teaspoon pepper, dill and parsley. Add the shredded Jarlsberg, grated Grana Padano and asparagus pieces (do not include asparagus tops). Stir to incorporate into the egg mixture.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Peel and shred the potatoes. Toss with 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper. Place shredded potatoes in a dish cloth and wring out excess water from the potatoes. Short Cut: Purchase refrigerated hashbrowns.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of butter in a 10-inch cast iron skillet over medium heat until the butter is melted. Add the potatoes, pushing them down to the bottom and sides of the pan. Cook them for 10 minutes (pushing them up the sides if they start to shrink) or until they start to form a brown crust. Remove from heat.
- Pour quiche mixture into the hashbrown crust. Top with asparagus tops.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes or until quiche is set and crust is well browned (175-degree internal temperature). Let it rest for 5-10 minutes before cutting. Quiche can be served at room temperature.
- Reheat: The quiche can be made a day in advance. Refrigerate, covered with plastic wrap. Bring the pan out for 30 minutes prior. Reheat at 325 degrees for 20-25 minutes (or until it reaches 165 degrees internal temperature).
Notes
Variations:
Use half the amount of asparagus.
Add equal amounts of chopped ham, crumbled bacon and or sliced mushrooms.
Spring is Morel Mushroom season! Chop and sauté some morel mushrooms before adding to the egg mixture.
Add equal amounts of chopped ham, crumbled bacon and or sliced mushrooms.
Spring is Morel Mushroom season! Chop and sauté some morel mushrooms before adding to the egg mixture.