Another addition to my 12 Recipes of Christmas, and today’s recipe is….. Leek and Potato Bake. A rich offering of melt in your mouth cheesy potatoes baked with leek and heavy cream. Then topped with salt and pepper, and finally a touch of nutmeg. Yum, right?
What do you do when you’re family is tired of traditional potato recipes for their holiday dinner?
You mix it up – literally.
All you need to do to create your very own leek and potato bake is to layer the ingredients and bake in a preheated oven at 450. That’s it!
This dish will not overwhelm you if you have a varied menu that needs a lot of attention. Just follow the recipe but hold off on popping it in the oven. You can cook it once you’ve completed your more labor intensive dishes, and your leek and potato bake will be piping hot when you serve it.
If you’re an avid reader of my blog, you will know that I convert traditional family style dishes into single servings. I used 7″ cast iron skillets to create individual servings. You will need four 7″ cast iron skillets if you would like to do the same. If you would rather not, then a 12″ cast iron skillet is what you need. Alternatively, you could use an overproof dish of a similar size.
Leek and Potato Bake is an awesome shareable dish, and a great idea if you want to change up your offering of potatoes.
When I was testing this recipe, it was clear to me that this one was a winner. After fanning the thing to get rid of the heat and steam gushing from the skillet, I went in with my fork and was delighted at the taste, and you will be too.
Leek and Potato Bake
Ingredients
- 4-6 large white potatoes
- Boiling water
- 3 cups leeks white part only - sliced
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 4 cups gruyere shredded
- 1 tsp nutmeg freshly grated
Equipment & Utensils
- Large saucepan
- 12 " cast iron skillet or similar sized oven proof dish or four 7" cast iron skillets.
- Mandolin or grater
Instructions
- Peel potatoes and slice approx. 1/4" thick.
- Place potato slices into a large saucepan.
- Then slowly pour boiling water over the potatoes.
- Place on medium heat and once the water begins to bubble, lower a little so that the water simply ripples.
- Cook potatoes until soft, but try to avoid over cooking potato slices otherwise they will break apart.
- Drain potatoes once cooked.
- Layer potatoes and leek slices in a continuous circle or square (dependent upon baking vessel) around your skillet or baking dish, first a potato slice then a few slices of leek and then repeat.
- Make sure there are no gaps between the potato slices and leeks. If you find some gaps use the smaller potato slices to cover the gaps or any pieces of potato that may have fallen away when cooking.
- Pour heavy cream over leeks and potatoes, then season with salt and pepper.
- Top with cheese and pat the cheese down, so that it holds the ingredients together.
- Place in a preheated oven at 450 and cook until cheese is golden.
- Remove from oven when done, and allow to cool for 1 minute,
- Sprinkle with approx. 1 tsp of nutmeg, freshly grated, then serve.
