Sausage-crust quiche

One nice thing about sharing an office with two people who like to cook is that I get to check out the exciting things they bring for lunch. My friend and officemate Jocelyn and I both did a paleo diet challenge earlier this year and traded new recipes often to keep each other going in our 6 weeks without grains, dairy, sugar, and lots of yummy things. She shared this recipe for sausage-crust quiche with me when I smelled something good coming from her desk and asked what it was.

The first time I tried this recipe for meat-crust quiche, I used regular Italian sausage from the grocery store. It turned out ok, but not great. Mediocre sausage will make a mediocre crust, so I gave the recipe a second chance when I discovered a package of pork and lamb sausage in my CSA share. This version was much improved, but I think I still prefer a frittata (and it's less work). If you are buying sausage from a meat counter, ask to have it removed from the casing -- one less thing for you to do at home!

I substituted fennel for onion since I had some fennel that I wanted to use up, but I'm not sure I'd do that again. I like fennel in a salad or slaw (raw but marinated in dressing), but sometimes cooked fennel has an odd texture and does not go as well with the rest of the dish as I had imagined.

Sausage-crust quiche
Adapted from PaleOMG

Time: About an hour
Servings: At least 4

Ingredients
1 pound sausage
1 small sweet potato, diced
1 small onion or bulb of fennel, diced
1 clove of garlic, minced or pressed

2 cups spinach

4 eggs
A few sprigs of mint, chopped
Generous sprinkle of smoked paprika

Method
1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. 

2. Remove the sausage from the casing and press into a pie plate. An 8x8 baking dish would probably work too. Place the plate on top of a baking sheet (so that nothing drips into your oven) and bake for about 20 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, coat the bottom of a skillet with olive oil and heat over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add your sweet potato and onion/fennel. 

3. When the vegetables have had a few minutes to sauté, add the garlic, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and stir to combine. Cover the pan and cook for another 4-5 minutes, until the potatoes have softened. Stir occasionally.

4. Add the spinach and cook until wilted. If you are using regular spinach (not baby spinach), you might want to cover the pan again to help the wilting process along.

5. When the crust is done cooking, carefully drain out any excess oil (the crust will have retracted from the sides of the plate and might slip around a bit) and pour the vegetables into the crust.

6. Beat the eggs, add the herbs and paprika, and pour into crust with the vegetables. Use a spatula to gently mix the eggs into the vegetables.

7. Return the plate (still on top of a baking sheet) to the oven and bake for about 25 minutes.

8. Let cool, slice, and serve.