Pesto Quiche with Potato Crust

This week my sharebox came with a huge bag of enormous and beautiful basil leaves, so heady and fragrant. Of course, I’m making pesto, but I’m not using it on pasta; I’m making a quiche with a potato crust.

Ingredients

1 large russet potato

1 medium size tomato (optional)

3-4 Cups loosely packed basil leaves, reserving a few perfect leaves for a garnish

2 cloves garlic

2 Tbsp sunflower kernels or pine nuts

3/4 Cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 Tbsp olive oil

3 or 4 large eggs

¾ Cup skim milk or evaporated skim milk

salt and pepper

Nonstick cooking spray

Procedure

Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.

Spray a pie pan with nonstick cooking spray and set aside. Using a mandoline, thinly slice the potato. Starting in the center of the pan, place the slices in an overlapping spiral until you have covered the bottom and sides. Then place any remaining potato slices in a bowl of cold water to prevent browning. Spray the potato crust with cooking spray and sprinkle with salt. Bake for 15 minutes at 425 degrees Fahrenheit.

In the meantime, make the pesto. Place the garlic and seeds or nuts into the food processor. Pulse until you have a coarse mixture. Add ¼ Cup of the cheese. Pulse until combined. Add the basil leaves and process, adding oil through the top opening until you have a homogenous and thick, spreadable paste. You’ll notice I’m using less oil for this pesto than if I were making it as a pasta sauce.

Whisk together the eggs and milk and season with salt and pepper.

Slice the tomato.

When the half-baked potato crust comes out of the oven, sprinkle the remaining ½ Cup of Parmesan cheese over the bottom. Then carefully spoon the pesto over the cheese, and spread into an even layer with a spatula. Place the tomato slices on top, and season with salt and pepper. Then drain and pat dry the reserved potato slices and place on top of the tomato layer. Season with salt and pepper. Pour in the egg and milk mixture. Finally, place a few perfect basil leaves on top and press down gently to submerge.

Bake again at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 35 to 40 minutes. 

Other options:

• Instead of whole eggs, use the equivalent volume in egg whites or remove all but one of the yolks.

• Instead of the potato crust or a pastry crust, use tortillas to line the pie pan; no need to prebake.

• Instead of pesto, use tapenade