Recipes Breakfast & Brunch Egg Dishes Quiche French Onion Potato Crust Quiche Jammy caramelized onions, nutty Gruyère, and a savory custard fill a golden smashed-potato crust in this French onion quiche. By Craig Ruff Craig Ruff Craig Ruff is a food editor and recipe developer at Food & Wine. He joined People Inc. as a fellow before moving into the test kitchen as a full time assistant, where he cross-tested and developed countless recipes for Food & Wine and other People Inc. food brands. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Published on September 22, 2026 Save Rate PRINT Share Close Credit: Food & Wine / Photo by Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Julian Hensarling / Prop Styling by Abby Armstrong Active Time: 40 mins Total Time: 2 hrs 10 mins Servings: 8 Jump to recipe The buttery smashed-potato crust turns deeply golden around the edges while staying tender enough to slice easily.Slowly caramelized onions, beef broth, and sherry vinegar build the savory-sweet depth associated with French onion soup without making the filling watery.Gruyère, Dijon, and thyme balance the creamy egg custard with nutty, tangy, and herbal notes. This quiche brings the defining flavors of French onion soup to the brunch table, trading the usual pie crust for a buttery layer of smashed potatoes. The potatoes are boiled until tender, pressed into a cast-iron skillet, and baked before the filling goes in, creating crispy, deeply golden edges while the custard remains silky and tender inside. The filling starts with onions cooked low and slow until sweet and nearly jammy. A splash of sherry vinegar cuts through the sweetness, while beef broth reinforces the depth reminiscent of French onion soup. Fresh thyme and Dijon mustard keep the custard lively, while robust, nutty Gruyère melts throughout. The quiche has enough presence for a holiday brunch or casual gathering, but its flavors are familiar and unfussy. A sharply dressed green salad, offering a bright counterpoint to the rich custard and cheese, is all it needs alongside. How do you keep a potato crust quiche from getting soggy? Drain and thoroughly pat the potatoes dry before pressing them firmly into the skillet. Prebake the potato crust until its edges are crisp and golden, and cook the onions until they are jammy with almost no liquid remaining. A layer of cheese between the potatoes and custard provides an additional barrier against excess moisture. How do you know when quiche is done? The quiche is ready when the edges are puffed and the center is just set with a slight jiggle — it should not look wet or ripple when the skillet is gently moved. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should register 160°F. 3 Wines to Pair With Quiche Notes from the Food & Wine Test Kitchen Choose baby Yukon Gold potatoes of similar size so they finish cooking at the same time, and press into an even crust.Press the potatoes especially firmly around the sides of the skillet and patch any visible holes before prebaking to help keep the custard inside the crust.Let the finished quiche stand for the full 20 minutes before slicing; the custard continues to settle as it cools, producing neater slices. This recipe was developed by Jasmine Smith; the text was written by Craig Ruff. Keep Screen Awake Ingredients 1/2x 1x 2x Oops! Something went wrong. Our team is working on it. This recipe was developed at its original yield. Ingredient amounts are automatically adjusted, but cooking times and steps remain unchanged. Note that not all recipes scale perfectly. Original recipe (1X) yields 8 servings 1 1/2 pounds baby Yukon gold potatoes, scrubbed 2 tablespoons plus 1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, divided 3 cups yellow onions, thinly sliced (about 3 cups) 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, plus more for garnish 1/4 cup beef broth 2 tablespoons aged sherry vinegar 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme, divided, plus more for garnish 6 ounces Gruyère cheese, shredded (about 1 1/2 cups), divided 8 large eggs 1/2 cup heavy cream 2 teaspoons dijon mustard Directions Preheat oven to 400°F with rack in middle position. Place potatoes in a medium saucepan; add 2 tablespoons salt and enough water to cover by 1 inch. Bring to a boil over high. Reduce heat to medium-high and cook until potatoes are very tender, 20 to 25 minutes. Drain well and pat dry. Generously brush bottom and sides of a 10-inch cast-iron skillet with 1 tablespoon butter. Arrange potatoes in skillet. Using a flat-bottomed measuring cup, smash potatoes firmly, pressing them across bottom and up sides of skillet to form an even crust. Brush with 1 tablespoon butter and sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Bake until crust begins to turn crisp and golden around edges, 25 to 30 minutes. Meanwhile, heat remaining 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium. Add onions, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and black pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onions begin to soften, about 10 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low; cook, stirring often, until onions are very soft and beginning to turn golden brown, about 15 minutes, adding water, 1 to 2 tablespoons at a time, as needed to deglaze and prevent browned bits from burning. Add vinegar and cook, scraping up any browned bits from bottom of skillet, until liquid has evaporated, about 1 minute. Stir in beef broth; cook, stirring often, until liquid is almost fully evaporated and onions are jammy, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in 1 teaspoon thyme. Sprinkle 3/4 cup cheese evenly over potato crust; top evenly with caramelized onions. Whisk together eggs, cream, mustard, pepper, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon thyme in a medium bowl. Pour over onions and top evenly with remaining 3/4 cup cheese. Bake until edges are puffed, center is just set, and top is lightly browned in spots, 30 to 35 minutes. Let cool in skillet on a wire rack for 20 minutes. Run an offset spatula around edge before slicing and serving. Garnish with thyme and black pepper. Cook this recipe and more in the MyRecipes app. Get the App Save Rate Print Loading shell for RecipesUgcThreaded1 Vue component in Globe.