Quiche Lorraine With Hash Brown Crust
This easy Quiche Lorraine With Hash Brown Crust is filled with bacon, sautéed onions, Swiss cheese, and a creamy egg custard. Serve it for breakfast, brunch, lunch, or even dinner...it's sure to be a hit!
Servings: 6
Estimated Calories: 407
Ingredients
For the Hash Brown Crust
- 1 pound frozen shredded hash browns, thawed and patted dry with paper towel (about 4 heaping cups)
- 4 tablespoons melted butter
- 1 large egg
- ½ teaspoon salt, or to taste (I use kosher salt; if using regular table salt, you may want to use less)
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper, or to taste
For the Filling
- 6 slices thick-cut bacon, chopped into ½-inch pieces
- 1 cup chopped onions, about ½-inch pieces
- 5 large eggs
- ¾ cup half and half
- 1 cup freshly shredded Swiss cheese, I use baby Swiss because it has a milder flavor that I prefer
- pinch nutmeg, about 1/16 of a teaspoon
- ½ teaspoon salt, or to taste (I use kosher salt; if using regular table salt, you may want to use less)
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper, or to taste
Special Equipment
- 9½ x 1¾-inch pie dish (a standard 9-inch pie dish will be too small for this quiche)
Instructions
Make the Hash Brown Crust
- Preheat the oven to 425°F.
- In a large bowl, combine the hash browns, melted butter, one egg, salt and pepper; mix until well combined.
- Put the hash brown mixture into a 9½ x 1¾-inch pie dish; spread it out and press it down onto the bottom and all the way up the sides of the dish.
- Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until the crust is just barely starting to turn lightly golden on the top with some light browning on some spots along the edges. While the crust is in the oven, move on to making the filling.
Make the Filling and Bake the Quiche
- In a medium skillet, cook the chopped bacon over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until crisp.
- Using a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon pieces to a plate lined with a paper towel; set aside.
- Remove all but 1 teaspoon of the bacon grease from the skillet. Add the onions to the skillet; sauté, stirring frequently, until softened. Remove from the heat and set aside.
- When the crust has finished baking, remove it from the oven and add the onions, bacon and shredded Swiss cheese in even layers.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the 5 eggs, half and half, nutmeg, salt and pepper until well combined.
- Pour the egg mixture into the crust.
- Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes or just until the eggs are set. Be careful not to overcook, which can cause the quiche to be dry and the eggs rubbery.To test for doneness: there should be no jiggle when you give the dish a gentle shake on the oven rack (use oven mitts, please), and a knife inserted in the center of the quiche should come out clean. If you'd like to test it by temperature, the center of the quiche should be a minimum of 165°F.
- Remove the quiche from the oven and let it rest for 15 minutes (this allows the custard to cool a bit and set up more so that the slices will come out of the dish neatly).
- Slice into 6 wedges and enjoy!
Recipe Notes
- You can either thaw the frozen hash browns in the refrigerator overnight or, if you're in a hurry, you can put them on a microwave-safe plate and microwave for a few minutes until they are thawed.
- Once thawed, be sure to pat them dry with paper towels to get rid of any excess moisture (you don't want the crust to be too wet).
- When adding the cooked bacon, I like to hold back a few of the pieces and then sprinkle them on top after I add the egg mixture. This is optional, but it lets you see that there is bacon in there (most of the other pieces will remain submerged in the custard).
- Please refer to the post for additional information and tips as well as step-by-step photos, information on substitutions and variations, making ahead, storing leftovers, reheating, and serving suggestions.
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