Potato and zucchini quiche

This quiche uses the grated zucchini, but also has thinly sliced potato, a more unusual ingredient, but one that adds substance and density to the quiche in a really satisfying way, a little like a Spanish tortilla. Another winning way with quiche is to use different cheeses and see what happens. I always have a fancy cheese available that I've bought because it looked so interesting and it usually is. In this case it was Leerdammer, that nutty and fresh tasting Dutch cheese. You can just use Cheddar, however, or Gruyere or something similar guaranteed to taste great.

 

Recipe : Zucchini and potato quiche

1/2 wholewheat, 1/2 plain and Parmesan crust:
1/2 cup wholewheat flour
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter, cut into small dice
2 tbsp water

Filling: 3 medium potatoes, very thinly sliced

1 onion, peeled and thinly sliced

2 medium zucchinis, grated and squeezed of as much liquid as possible

2 tbsp finely chopped fresh herbs, I used basil, thyme and savoury

2 eggs

1/4 cup whipping cream

1/2 cup grated cheese, I used Leerdamer

salt and pepper

To make the crust:
Place both flours, Parmesan cheese and salt in a large bowl, mix well and then add the butter.  Rub the butter into the flours and Parmesan with your fingertips until it resembles breadcrumbs.
Add the water and squeeze the mixture together until it forms a lump and leaves the bowl clean. Wrap in cling wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 450oF and butter and paper a quiche or pie tin with wax paper or parchment paper.
While the pastry is chilling, prepare your filling.
Whisk together the eggs, cream and salt and pepper.

After 30 minutes, remove the pastry from the fridge and roll it out on a floured surface to a circle about 1.5 inches larger than your pie dish. Lay it into the dish and press it into the sides. Lay some foil inside and pour some rice or dried beans into the dish. Bake blind in the preheated oven for 15 minutes. Remove and take out the foil with the beans or rice.

Lower the oven temperature to 350oF. Start to assemble your quiche. First, lay 1/2 the potatoes onto the pastry, followed by all of the onion slices and then all of the grated zucchini. Finish the layers with the 2nd half of the potatoes and then pour the eggs and cream mixture evenly over everything. Sprinkle the cheese over, followed by the herbs and then bake in the oven for about 45 - 50 minutes, (you want the potatoes to become soft, which takes a while). Remove from the oven and pierce with a skewer to ensure everything is soft and there is no liquid left inside. Let cool and then serve.