Brunch is the best and brunch with friends is even better. Last weekend we had some buddies in town and before heading to an afternoon football game we grubbed on a hearty breakfast to start the day right and provide a good base for any potential afternoon shenanigans. I knew the morning would be full of fun and didn’t want to miss too much of it because I was trying to get breakfast together. So I created a plan to tackle most of the heavy cooking the night before and some easy basics the morning of. Below you will find the menu, the plan of attack and the recipes. Trust me, this will make the next brunch you host an absolute breeze.

Before

MENU
Spinach & Feta Crustless Quiche
Yellow Pepper, Cheddar & Smoked Paprika Crustless Quiche
Roasted Breakfast Potatoes with Fresh Herbs
Applegate Turkey Breakfast Sausage
Kouign Amann pastries from b. patisserie (as seen here)
Creamy Early Grey Tea served with Cream & Honey

Before

PLAN OF ATTACK
1. The night before brunch cook the inside goodies of your quiche, make the egg mixture and assemble but do not cook your quiche, also chop and assemble potatoes but do not cook, cover everything and refrigerate for morning
2. In the morning move quiche and potatoes to oven
3. Ask husband or guest to stop by the neighborhood bakery to pick up some baked goods (optional, but helps take the pressure off if you want a sweet element)
4. Heat water for tea (sometimes it’s nice for people to sip on prior to sitting down to eat)
5. Put breakfast sausage in a skillet on the stove top to brown slowly on low as everything else cooks in the oven

After

After

RECIPES
QUICHE
Warning: my quiche is not traditional as I like to make it a healthier option and avoid using as much cream and cheese, that said it is still delicious (in my humble opinion). The first rule of quiche (one I learned the hard way) is to cook all the ingredients in your quiche before you assemble the dish. That means to saute the veggies, brown the meats and incorporate the herbs and spices before adding to your dish and pouring over the raw egg mixture. Below are the loose recipes I used for our meal.

Basic Egg Mixture Recipe, fills one standard pie dish and serves 4-6 people
12 eggs
1/3 – 1/2 cup cream, the more you add the fluffier and lighter the eggs will be
salt & pepper
1/4 tsp nutmeg, nutmeg is the secret ingredient that gives the quiche a special something (omit where desired)
salt & pepper
a few pinches of garlic powder and onion powder if not already including the real thing in your saute mixture

Combine eggs and ingredients above in a large bowl and whisk vigorously until well incorporated. Add cooked quiche ingredients (like veggies/meat) to the bottom of a standard sized pie dish. If cooking the next morning allow the veggies to cool a bit then evenly spread cheese and pour egg mixture on top (if cooking immediately no need to wait for cooling). Cover with cling wrap and refrigerate overnight. In the morning take the pre-assembled quiche out and set on the counter as the oven preheats to 425 degrees. Cook for 30 minutes or until eggs are set in center. Remove and let cool before digging in.

Yellow Pepper, Cheddar & Smoked Paprika Quiche
1 small yellow pepper, chopped (or red, the sweet options)
1/2 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
olive oil, a generous drizzle
1 cup sharp cheddar, grated
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 – 1 tsp red pepper flakes
(I ommitted the nutmeg for this version)

Chop pepper, onion and garlic and saute over medium-high heat in a drizzle of olive oil until soft but not browned. Grate cheddar as veggies cook. Incorporate smoked paprika and red pepper flakes into basic egg mixture recipe (listed above) and whisk well. Follow assembly and cooking instructions above in basic egg mixture.

Spinach & Feta Quiche
4-5 cups of spinach (I like a lot of greens, plus it cooks down)
1/2 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
olive oil, a generous drizzle
1 cup feta cheese, crumbled

Chop onion and garlic and saute over medium-high heat in a drizzle of olive oil until translucent. Add spinach bit by bit, turning slowly in the pan until it starts to wilt and make space for more. Crumble feta as veggies cook. Follow assembly and cooking instructions above in basic egg mixture.

BREAKFAST POTATOES
1-2 lbs of Yukon Gold or red potatoes, chopped into 1/2 inch bite size pieces
olive oil (or a higher smoking point oil if you have it such as brown rice oil)
a few springs fresh rosemary and/or thyme
salt & pepper

Dice potatoes and lay them out on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Drizzle with oil and generously sprinkle with salt and pepper. Incorporate fresh herbs and toss to coat. Wrap up and store in fridge until morning of brunch. Set out on counter while oven preheats and throw them in about 5-10 minutes before the quiche to allow them to get more browning time. Cook in oven with quiche for 30 minute quiche cooking time, removing once or twice to toss. The potatoes should be nicely browned when done. Check seasoning and add salt and pepper if needed.