Why canned corned beef instead of real corned beef? Convenience and economics. I made this on a day when unexpected guests were due in an hour and there was no time to cook anything else. I’m not really a fan of canned but it can be lifesaver.
Granted that canned food wasn’t developed for culinary reasons. The canning industry is an after-effect of war. The soldiers out in the field needed to be fed, after all, and portable food with a long shelf life was ideal.
So, the thought that canned food could be a building block for creating gourmet meals was far from the mind of the people who developed, and later perfected, the process of stuffing and sealing food in tin cans.
But we’re not out in the field. We’re at home with all the amenities and conveniences of a modern kitchen. There are countless ways to get creative with canned food, and this corned beef and potato omelette pie is just one example.
Corned beef and potato quiche
Ingredients
- 2 medium potatoes
- 1 large onion
- 4 cloves garlic
- 3 tablespoons cooking oil
- 1 340-gram can corned beef
- 1 teaspoon salt divided
- ½ teaspoon pepper divided
- 1 pack puff pastry (take out of the freezer when're ready to assemble)
- all-purpose flour for rolling the puff pastry
- oil spray to coat the pie dish
- 6 large eggs
- ½ teaspoon dried basil
- ½ teaspoon dried parsley
- ½ cup shredded cheese I used Monterey Jack
Instructions
- Peel (or not) the potatoes and cut into half-inch cubes.
- Peel and thinly slice the onion.
- Peel and mince the garlic.
- Heat the cooking oil in a frying pan. Swirl to coat the entire bottom of the pan.
- Spread the potato cubes on the bottom of the pan.
- Cook without disturbing for a few minutes to allow the undersides to brown. Stir and continue cooking, with occasional stirring, to brown all sides evenly.
- Add the sliced onion and minced garlic to the potatoes. Cook until the onion slices are softened.
- Add the corned beef and half of the salt and pepper.
- Cook, stirring, to distribute everything evenly.
- Turn off the heat and leave to cool.
- Preheat the oven to 350F.
- Sprinkle flour on your work surface.
- Lay the puff pastry on the floured area.
- Sprinkle more flour on top of the puff pastry.
- Roll out the pasty to about a quarter inch thick.
- Spray a 12-inch pie dish lightly with oil.
- Transfer the rolled pastry to the oiled pie dish.
- Using kitchen shears, cut off the excess but leaving a half inch overhang.
- Fold and tuck in the overhang for a cleaner look.
- In a mixing bowl, beat the eggs with the remaining salt and pepper.
- Reserve two tablespoons of the beaten eggs.
- Add the cooled corned beef mixture, basil and parsley to the beaten eggs.
- Pour the corned beef and egg mixture into the prepared pie crust and scatter the shredded cheese on top. If you made cut outs with the pie crust trimmings, arrange them on top of the filling.
- Brush the edges of the crust (and the cut outs) with the reserved beaten eggs.
- Bake the corned beef and potato quiche in a 350F oven for 20 to 30 minutes (ovens behave differently and a fan-assisted oven will shorten the baking time). Check after 20 minutes. If the filling is still jiggly and the crust is still pale, bake a little longer.
- Take the corned beef and potato quiche out of the oven and cool for five minutes before slicing.
