Comfort Food in the Colder Months
It’s that time of year where the weather seems to be slowly getting cooler, but we all know that winter is right around the corner. So if you’re on the lookout for a simple and satisfying meal perfect for cooler weather, then this madtærte, or quiche, will do the trick! Madtærte is a great option for dinner or lunch, and it seems much more involved than it actually is (thankfully). We use potatoes and leeks as the main ingredients in the filling, and use an easy recipe for a lovely and flaky crust. You can also eat the leftovers (if there are any) the next day for a delicious breakfast, hot or cold! We hope this recipe can bring you some comfort in the upcoming winter months!
Potatoes & Leeks: Staple Ingredients!
A madtærte is basically a quiche, but we drew inspiration from some classic Danish ingredients – potatoes and leeks! Potatoes are plentiful in Denmark and it’s common to have a side of potatoes with most dinners. Leeks have always been a staple in the madtærter that our mom made for us growing up, so we thought it would be a perfect combination for a hearty dish.
Tips & Tricks
This recipe includes yoghurt in the dough for the crust which makes it much easier to handle. It comes together better than just using water, without sacrificing the flaky texture of a buttery quiche crust. While we love the combination of potatoes and leeks in this recipe, feel free to change it up! Bacon, for example, would be a great addition. If you can’t find leeks in your grocery store, green onions would also do the trick. You could even cook down some yellow/white onions until slightly caramelized and use those in place of the leeks.
We hope you make this recipe – Enjoy! Be sure to leave a comment and a rating below and tag us on Instagram if you make our recipe!
Madtærte (Danish Quiche with Potatoes and Leeks)
Ingredients
DOUGH
- 150 grams (1 cup) all purpose flour
- 75 grams (5 tbsp) unsalted butter, cold and cut into cubes
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 4 tbsp yoghurt (we used 2% Greek yoghurt)
FILLING
- 2 medium sized leeks, halved and cleaned thoroughly
- 1 tbsp oil
- 4 medium potatoes, peeled
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp chopped fresh thyme/ ~1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 4 large eggs
- 60 ml (1/4 cup) heavy cream
- 60 ml (1/4 cup) milk
- 1/2 cup (a couple of handfuls) shredded mozzarella cheese
- Salt to taste
- Black pepper to taste
- Shredded parmesan for the top (optional)
Instructions
- Add flour and salt to your food processor. Add the butter and pulse until it looks like sand. You can do this by hand as well – just crumble butter into smaller and smaller pieces until you reach that sand like consistency.
- Add yoghurt and pulse until the dough comes together. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes in the fridge.
- Cut your potatoes in half lengthwise and cut into 1/8" size slices. Add to a small pot and cover with water and a few pinches of salt. Bring to a boil for 3 minutes until just tender, then drain and set aside to cool.
- Chop your leeks (clean them thoroughly first!). Heat a pan with 1 tbsp of oil and add leeks. Add minced garlic and chopped thyme, and cook for about 5 minutes until soft. Season your leeks with salt and pepper to taste. Once ready, set aside to cool.
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F (205 C).
- Once your dough has chilled, unwrap and place on a well floured surface. Roll out dough until it is the right size for your tart/pie pan; it should be around 1/8" – 1/4" thick. We used a 9 inch pie pan!
- Roll dough around rolling pin and transfer onto your pie/tart pan.
- Press the dough into the pan, filling in any tears or gaps. Trim off any excess dough, crimp the edges if you want, and poke the base multiple times with a fork to prevent too much rising in the oven.
- Bake the pie shell for 10 mins.
- While the dough bakes, whisk together eggs, mozzarella, cream, milk, salt, and pepper in a medium mixing bowl. Fold in potatoes and the leek mixture.
- Once your base has cooked for 10 mins, remove it from the oven and add your filling.
- Lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees F (176 C). Add shredded parmesan to the top if you want and bake for an additional 20-25 minutes until the filling has set. To test this, you can gently shake the quiche. If it jiggles and there appears to still be liquid in the center, continue to bake it, but if it looks solid and robust, then it is ready!
Love the recipe
Thank you! One of our favorite simple meals to make 🙂