Well Fed Network

Posted by Jennifer Tolley on Just Baking.

Most of the time when we think of baking, we are thinking of cookies and cakes and breads. Usually forgotten are things like quiche, savory bread puddings and the like. One savory baked dish that I have loved since Mom first made it for us in our late teen years is Cauliflower Cheese Pie with Potato Crust. There are no doughs to mix up in this recipe, and it’s really quite simple to make once you have everything chopped up and ready to go.

Now that I’m married to an ovo-lacto vegetarian (I still like a little meat once in awhile, but it is slowly being phased out), I find this dish to be a great dinner that we can sit down and enjoy together. It also makes for wonderful leftovers and even tastes great cold! It could be loosely termed a quiche except that the crust is made of grated potatoes and the filling is much more vegetable than eggs. The eggs are just there to hold things together. This recipe has been adapted from The New Moosewood Cookbook by Mollie Katzen. The eggs in the recipe can be replaced with egg substitute, the cheese can be substituted with lowfat cheese or cheese substitute, basically this can be changed around to suit your needs.

Cauliflower Cheese Pie with Potato Crust

Crust:

2C (packed) grated raw potato (I love this with yukon gold potatoes, but Idaho bakers will do lovely)
1/4 C grated onion
1/2 t. salt
1 egg white lightly beaten
flour for your fingers
a little oil

Heat your oven to 400° F.  Generously spray a 9 inch pie tin with pan spray (the potato crust does tend to stick).  Combine grated potatoes and onion, salt and egg white in a small bowl and mix well.

Transfer to the pie pan and pat into place with lightly floured fingers building up the sides into a nice crust. Bake for 30 minutes, remove from the oven, brush the crust with a little oil and return to bake for about 10 minutes more. The oil will help crisp up the crust a bit. Remove from oven and turn your oven down to 375° F.

The Filling (I make this while the crust is baking):

1 medium head of cauliflower chopped small
1 cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp olive oil or butter
1 tsp thyme leaves (I used dry, but if you want to use fresh just up the amount a bit)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
2 eggs
1/4 cup milk
1/2 to 1 cup grated cheddar cheese

Heat the olive oil or butter in a large skillet. Add onion, garlic. salt, pepper and thyme, and saute over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Add cauliflower, stir and cover. Cook until tender, stirring occasionally (about 8-10 min.)

Spread half the cheese onto the baked crust (it is ok if the crust is still hot). Spoon the sauteed vegetables on top, then sprinkle with remaining cheese. Beat the eggs and milk together, and pour this over the top (this mixture will not completely cover the cauliflower, but it is enough).

Bake 35-40 min, or until set. Serve hot or warm.

We love to have this with a big salad on the side or a nice hunk of cantaloupe. I think this would be a fabulous brunch item as well.  Happy Savory Baking!