Recipe: Mashed Potato Crust - 2 recipes

POTATO PIE CRUST
Source: Deeanne's recipe files

1 cup unseasoned mashed potatoes, at room temperature
1/4 cup oil
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp sea salt
1 tbsp water, or more, if needed

Whip together the potatoes and oil, using wire whisk or fork.

Mix together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add the flour mixture to the potato mixture. Using a fork or your hands, blend the two mixtures together. Do not over work. If the dough is too dry to hold together, gradually add a little water. (If your mashed potatoes are fairly moist you will not need to add any water. However, if they are dry, slowly sprinkle water onto the dough until it is moist enough to hold together.)

Roll the dough out onto apiece of wax paper. Sprinkle the counter or tabletop with a few drops of water to keep the paper from slipping, and sprinkle the dough with flour to keep the rolling pin from sticking. Pick up the dough by the edges of the paper and place it (paper side up) in a pie plate. Carefully peel off the paper. Flute the edges of the pie crust, fill and bake according to the recipe of your choice.

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MASHED POTATO PIE CRUST
Source: Based on a recipe in Molly Katzen's "Enchanted Broccoli Forest"

This crust is excellent for most quiches and savory tarts. Try it with a ratatouille filling (use a double recipe and make a top crust too), or a leek and olive quiche, or an eggplant and roasted garlic tart.

NB: Although the crust requires only about 10 minutes of work, it cooks for over an hour before you add the filling. You may wish to make several at a time in advance; the completed crust keeps for several days.

2 large baking potatoes
1 onion
1 tsp butter (or oil, for a pareve crust)
2 tsp salt
pepper

Peel and cube the potatoes and boil them in salted water until they are soft. Set the oven to 375.

Chop the onion into tiny pieces.

Mash the potatoes until smooth. Add the chopped onion, butter, salt and pepper and mix well Dump the mixture into a buttered 9 inch pie tin and press into a pie crust shape. Katzen suggests using a spoon, but I think fingers work better.

Bake 40 minutes at 375 degrees F.

Fill the baked crust with the filling of your desire and bake again.