Well the marathon/half marathon is over. It was a beautiful day to run in New Orleans, not a cloud in the sky and a nice breeze every now and then. I ended up getting a PR for a half and then finished out the last couple miles of the full with Anita. She did amazing and I'm so proud of her for finishing her first full.
After the race, we pretty much ate our way through the city. I had my fair share of po-boys, beignets, and soft shell crab. We tried several times to get into the infamous Cafe du Monde, but the line was constant and daunting, so we opted to try Cafe Beignet. Not a mistake. Their beignets were delightful. But, I must say I am happy to be home. I could feel my cholesterol rising with each meal and am ready to get back to my routine.
Prior to our trip last week, I was working with mashed potato dough. I already shared my recipe for the pierogies I came up with, but also created potato dough tarts.
I wasn't quite sure how the potato dough would do as a tart shell, but it actually was the perfect base for a savory quiche. And was also surprisingly easy to work with once I got the consistency of the dough right.
Goat Cheese Quiche
For the dough
1 cup mashed potatoes
1 1/2 cup bread flour, plus 1/2 cup for kneading
1 tsp salt
For the quiche
5 eggs
1/4 cup fat free half & half
2 tomatoes, chopped
1/4 cup goat cheese
4 green onions, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1/2 cup spinach, chopped
1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
Fresh pico de gallo for garnish
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Prepare the tart dough by combining mashed potatoes, flour, and salt. Using your hands, combine all ingredients until a dough forms. Flour a countertop and roll out dough relatively thing. Use extra flour as needed to keep the dough from getting sticky. Cut dough into large circles to create tarts.
While tarts are baking, whisk eggs and half & half in a medium bowl. Add in remaining ingredients for the filling. When tarts are finished baking, pour filling into each tart. Bake at 350 degrees for about 28 minutes. Garnish with fresh pico de gallo.
Potato dough offers a different taste and is quite versatile. You can use it in a number of ways, as I've shown in the last week. Another popular option is to create gnocchi. The dough for gnocchi is almost identical to that of pierogies and can be filled in so many different ways. You can really get creative.
Next time I make something with potato dough, I will take more pictures of the process so you can see the consistency of the dough. I was a little unsure of it at first, but after a quick call to my mother for guidance, my worries were put at ease.
If you get a chance, please check out my Saucy Mama mustard recipe here and vote for it if you feel so inclined. My giveaway for the free mustard packs is still going on, so leave a comment if you would like to be entered to win. The Saucy Mama mustard would mix in perfectly with this quiche recipe!
