Layered Potato and Bacon Quiche with Arugula

Layered Potato and Bacon Quiche with Arugula

Perfect for a winter breakfast, brunch, or dinner, our pastry crust is layered with thinly-sliced sautéed potatoes, bacon, baby arugula, and gruyere cheese. Fresh thyme with a cream and egg filling are added and then baked to tasty perfection. You can prepare and serve on the day of your meal or the day prior and merely reheat to serve.

Ingredients
1 pie crust, recipe below or high-quality store-bought
4 slices of thick cut bacon, sliced width-wise into ¼” lardons
2 tablespoons butter
¼ cup thinly sliced green onions, white and green parts plus 2 tablespoons of just the green parts, divided
2 medium Yukon Gold potato, very thinly sliced
2 cups baby arugula
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
5 eggs
¼ cup cream
2 teaspoons of fresh thyme
½ cup grated gruyere cheese, plus 1 teaspoon, divided

Instructions

Preheat to 400°F. Roll out the pie dough into a 12-13” circle and place in an 8-inch pie pan or 9-inch springform pan. Gently prick pie dough all over with a fork making sure to not puncture through the dough. Refrigerate for 15 minutes. Cover with buttered foil, butter side down, and add pie weights or beans. Place on a sheet pan in the center of the oven and bake 15 minutes. Remove the foil and pie weights, and continuing baking until lightly browned, about 10 minutes more. Remove from oven and set aside.

 

Meanwhile, add the bacon lardons in a cold pan and cook over medium-high heat until crispy. Remove and set aside. Discard the remaining fat except for a thin layer in the pan. Reduce the heat to medium and add the butter. When melted add the ¼ cup green onions and cook about 2 minutes. Then add the potatoes, sprinkle with ½ teaspoon salt, cook, frequently tossing until the potatoes are tender and lightly browned, about 6-7 minutes. Remove from the heat and season with ⅛ teaspoon pepper and 1 teaspoon salt or to taste.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs and cream. Add ¼ cup gruyere cheese to the bottom of the crust then ½ of the potatoes and bacon in a layer over the cheese. Add the 2 cups of arugula, top evenly with the remaining potatoes and bacon then ¼ cup of the cheese. Sprinkle over the top the thyme then pour the eggs and cream evenly over the whole pie. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese and green onions. Place on a baking sheet in the oven and bake until quiche is puffy and just starting to brown, about 35-40 minutes. Cool briefly for 15 minutes before slicing and serving. Makes 6-8 servings.

Savory Pie Crust
½ cup butter, cubed and chilled
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
4 to 5 tablespoons ice water

Put the butter, flour, and salt in the food processor and pulse lightly just until the mixture comes together resembling sand, and the butter is the size of peas. Add the water, 1 tablespoon at a time, pulsing briefly after each addition. Keep adding water until the dough gathers together into larger clumps. Dump out of the food processor onto a clean surface and pat into a disk. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured re-sealable plastic bag. Let rest in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.