The name has a story and it is indeed dedicated to Barb Olson, who was the first person to tell me that mashed potatoes could make a delicious crust style base for an egg bake! My mind was blown, so naturally, I dedicated this recipe to her.
It took a lot of trial and error to get this potato crust right. My neighbors had their fill of the test bakes that were coming out of my kitchen for an entire week. I wanted the potato crust to be gorgeously golden brown and crispy on outside, while staying soft on the inside. Some held their shape but wouldn’t brown, some got overly browned if not burnt, some lost their shape and completely sank to the bottom, others caused the egg to go rubbery because the cooking time for the egg was different than the cooking time for the potato! I was about to throw in the kitchen towel. But alas, I persevered. The outcome is a recipe that will knock the socks off any brunch guest or baking sceptic.
You can get creative with this one as well, add different cheeses to the egg mixture, add cheese to the potatoes too! A range of different veggies could be added to the eggs such as peppers, asparagus, mushrooms, broccoli! If adding more hearty veg, you can sauté it first, add to the parbaked crust and pour the egg mix over it. I even thought of doing a layer of caramelized onions between the potato crust and the egg filling. Get crazy, get creative, make this as yummy as possible and remember to thank Barbara Helen for the genius idea.
The Barbara Helen Egg Bake
Ingredients
- 3 good-sized potatoes either Russet or Yukon Gold
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 2 tbsp all-purpose flour, or alternative flour of your choice
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 10 eggs
- 1/4 cup chives
- 1 shallot, minced
- 2 tbsp heavy cream or whole milk
- salt & pepper to season
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 and bring a pot of salted water to boil, adding the baking soda to the water as well. Meanwhile, peel and cut the potatoes into chunks, soaking them for 10 minutes in cold water before adding to the boiling water. Boil until potatoes are very soft throughout, about 20 minutes. Drain very well and let cool.
- Crack your 8 eggs into a mixing bowl, add cream, chives, and shallots. Season with salt and pepper, whisk well, set aside.
- Once your potatoes are cool enough to handle, mashed them well. Stir in the salt, flour, one egg, and parmesan cheese.
- Using your hands, form a ball with the potatoes and place into greased 9” pie dish. Mold the potatoes around the inside of the dish to form the crust. If it seems to think, remove some of the potato and just evenly distribute so crust is about 1/4“thick on bottom. Mine is usually thicker around the sides because it makes for a prettier finished bake.
- Brush the crust with one whisked egg. Bake for about 25 minutes at 375 or until potatoes form a lightly stiff layer on the top and begin to brown.
- Remove from oven and poor in egg mixture, place back in oven for about 20 to 25 minutes until egg is nicely brown on top and cooked through.
- Remove from oven and let rest, you can add herbs to the top before serving.
- I like to pair each slice with a fresh green rocket or Bibb lettuce salad simply tossed in olive oil. Sprinkle some of the grated parmesan over the top, drizzle of olive oil and you are good to go!
