Cheesy Cauliflower Pie

Well hello there! I'm all moved in to my house, the days are getting cool and crisp, and I have a fabulous new kitchen to work in - time to get cooking!

So now you're thinking "you come back from a ridiculous hiatus with cauliflower? Blech." I am not a fan of cauliflower (and I seriously doubt Abby or Lizzy would touch the stuff normally) but I am a huge fan of this pie. For one thing... it has a hash brown crust. Drool.

I had had this at my friend Ana's house before, but never tried it for myself. So I finally dusted off my Moosewood Cookbook and gave it a whirl - with a few changes to make it a tad easier and more like something my kids would eat. We all wolfed it down! It basically tastes like cheesy hashbrowns, so how can you go wrong?

Cheesy Cauliflower Pie

Crust:

4 packed cups of grated raw potato
1/4 packed cup grated raw onion
1 egg white (keep yolk for the filling)
1/2 tsp salt
cooking spray

Filling:

2 Tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1 medium cauliflower, diced small
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 egg + 1 egg yolk
1/4 cup skim milk

Preheat oven to 400F. Generously coat a deep 9-inch pie plate with cooking spray.

Mix together all crust ingredients. Pat into the bottom of the pie plate and around the edges to make a crust. Bake for 25 minutes. Remove the crust from the oven, spray with cooking spray, and return to the oven for 10 more minutes.

While the crust is cooking, prepare the filling - heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan. Saute the garlic, salt, and herbs for 1 minute. Add the cauliflower and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes, until cauliflower is tender. Remove from heat.

Whisk together the egg, egg yolk, and milk.

When crust comes out of the oven, lower heat to 375F. Spread 3/4 cup of cheese across the bottom of the crust. Top with vegetables, and spread the other 3/4 cup of cheese over the veggies. Pour the egg/milk mixture over the top.

Bake for about 30-35 minutes, until set.