It's funny how some recipes stick in your mind for years and years, because there was some hook that got you in. You may no longer remember what it was that caught your attention, but the idea of the recipe remains with you. The recipe lurking in the dark recesses of my mind was Quiche Lorraine. Two of my absolute favourite things, gruyere cheese and bacon, bound up in a rich custard, all held together by a buttery pastry case.

I went to the trouble of making one on the weekend, but I would have to say when confronted with the reality of the dish, I was somewhat disappointed. There was nothing wrong with the way I made it, the flavour was there, maybe there wasn't quite enough cheese as I was using up a piece I had, but after a couple of bites a realization hit - Quiche Lorraine is really rich and heavy. Even though I substituted single cream for the double cream called for, it was a pure cholesterol bomb. Bacon - check, cheese - check, cream - check, butter - check, cardiologist - check.

Perhaps when Quiche Lorraine was first thought of, people worked a lot harder than they do today and simply burned off all those calories. What I was finding after a couple of bites, was that I didn't really want to eat it. Some wines are like that. Packed so full of fruit they become overwhelming after a glass or two.

The problem I was now faced with was what to do with the leftover custard from the recipe I had used? There was enough custard to make two quiches, even though the recipe was for only one. I couldn't face something as rich as Quiche Lorraine again, so something vegetable was called for, but what? After a bit of thought and a couple of days break from the first quiche, this is what we had. It was rather like a Spanish tortilla and very good it was too.

POTATO & LEEK QUICHE

250 g (9 oz) flour
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon salt
160 g (5.5 oz) butter, diced and softened
1 tablespoon milk

Place the flour on the work surface and make a well in the centre. Put the egg, salt and butter in the well and rub everything together, gradually drawing in the flour. When everything is nearly mixed, add the milk and knead the dough one or two times to combine, do not overwork or the dough will shrink back later. Wrap the dough in clingfilm and rest in the fridge for 1/2 an hour. Roll out the pastry in a circle 3 mm(1/16") thick and line a 22 cm(9") flan ring sitting on a baking sheet. Press the pastry into the edge, but leave the overhang, prick the base all over with a fork and rest in the fridge for 1/2 an hour. Place a circle of greaseproof paper in the flan and fill with pastry beans. Bake in an oven preheated to 220 c (425 f) for 10 minutes, remove the beans and bake for another 10 minutes, remove and raise the oven to 240 c (475 f). Trim the overhang.

FILLING

3 or 4 waxy potatoes
1 leek, white part only, shredded
25 g (1 oz) butter
2 eggs
2 egg yolks
300 ml (1/2 pint) single cream
salt & pepper

Boil the potatoes in their jackets until tender, peel and dice. Sweat the leek in the butter until soft. Place in a bowl the eggs, egg yolks, cream, salt and pepper and whisk until just combined, do not overwork the mixture. Put the leek and potatoes in the pastry case and pour in the custard. Put the flan in the oven and bake for 20 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 200 c (400 f), cook for another 20 minutes. Take out of the oven, remove the flan ring and serve.