So why not begin the year eating a Potato Leek Gratin? It is quite possible that this insanely delicious gratin also has its' own magical qualities. The qualities of making for a very happy start to the new year and an even happier belly. If you are thinking there is nothing 'lucky' in the Potato Leek Gratin, think again. The circular sliced potatoes and leeks as well as leeks being green make this a gratin one containing two lucky foods in one dish! And hey if you make a baked ham or pork roast to go with it, you will be serving everyone a meal that further increases their short and long term good fortune!
For those of you who don't or haven't leeks but like the flavors of onion and garlic, you will love this vegetable. Leeks belong to onion and garlic, otherwise known as, a member of the genus Allium family. The white base and light green portions of the leek have a mild onion-like taste. While they can be eaten raw, however, when sautéed they are transformed into something incredibly delicious. For the gratin, four pounds of leeks are sliced into 1/4 inch rings, soaked or rinsed in water to remove any dirt and then paper towel dried.
In a large non-stick frying pan, first melt five tablespoons of butter before adding the sliced, dried leeks. At the start of this sautéing process, sprinkle 1 1/2 Tablespoons of Kosher (not table) salt. I know it seems like alot of salt, but don't worry, I promise you it is not too much. The leeks are cooked on medium heat for approximately 20 minutes or until they are tender. During the cooking process you will place a lid on the pan and stir occasionally. If you are not using a non-stick pan, you may have to stir a little more frequently to ensure you do not burn the leeks.
After the leeks have been sautéed, you will add the thyme, white pepper, and whipping cream. You will continue cooking this mixture uncovered on low-medium heat until it has thickened. This will take about 15 minutes. When thickened, remove from the heat and set aside. I will warn you now that when you taste this mixture when it is finished cooking, you will want to sit there and eat the entire pan. It is addictively delicious. But try to show some restraint and patience as the finished gratin is even more delicious.
In the making of this gratin, I went back and forth on deciding which potatoes to use. Russets or Yukon Golds, Russets or Yukon Golds, Russets or Yukon Golds. I was starting to make this decision more complicated and more expensive than it needed to be (at the grocery store I bought both of them). So I took a deep breath, read through a multitude of gratin recipes and learned that these two potatoes were considered to be interchangeable. The choice of potato one makes appeared mostly to be on personal preference, however, Yukon Golds are known to have a slightly more buttery and less starchy flavor than the Russets. In gratins where there is added flavor from cheeses and heavy cream one might not taste a difference between the two potatoes. But I had to make a decision or this gratin was at risk for not being made. You can probably guess which potato I went with. Yes, it was the Yukon Golds.
The original recipe called for peeling and slicing the potatoes into 1/4 inch slices, but I thought the slices would be too thick and 1/8 inch too thin. So I decided to make 3/8 inch slices. This turned out to be a good decision.
There are different, repeated layers in this gratin. Using a large glass or ceramic baking dish greased with a tablespoon of butter, you begin the process by layering one third of the potatoes. The second layer is 1/3 of the leek mixture, the third layer is 1/3 of the grated Gruyere and Parmigiano-Reggiano mixture, and the last layer is one tablespoon of chopped chives. The layering process is repeated two more times, however, the last tablespoon of chopped chives are saved until the Potato Leek gratin has finished baking and is ready to be served.
Once assembled, the gratin is covered with aluminum foil and placed in a preheated 400 degree oven where it is baked for 45 minutes. The foil cover is removed and the gratin continues baking for another 30 minutes or until the top is golden brown. The Potato Leek Gratin needs to rest for 10 to 15 minutes before serving. While it rested I loosely covered it with aluminum foil.
I debated about whether or not I could assemble this gratin the day before I was baking it, but had some slight trepidation about whether or not the potatoes would turn gray if refrigerated overnight. However, because I other things to make for dinner, I did refrigerate the gratin for several hours before baking. Since there was no change to the color of the Yukon Golds, I would (with confidence) encourage you to make and assemble this gratin earlier in the day as it does take some time to put together. But for your investment of time, you will be greatly rewarded. Seriously, this could be one of the dishes placed on the sacred 'last meal request' list. But I doubt very much that I will wait that long until I make it again.
Potato Leek Gratin (slight adaptation to a Williams-Sonoma recipe)
Ingredients
5 Tablespoons unsalted butter plus 1 Tablespoon to grease the baking dish
4 pounds leeks, white and light green portions, cut into 1/4 inch rings and rinsed
1 1/2 Tablespoons Kosher salt
1 teaspoon fresh thyme, minced
3/4 teaspoon white pepper
1 cup heavy whipping cream
6 ounces Gruyere cheese, grated
3 ounces Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, freshly grated
3 pounds Yukon Gold (or Russet) potatoes, peeled and cut into 3/8 inch slices
3 Tablespoons minced fresh chives, divided
Directions
1. In a large non-stick fry plan, melt the butter. Add the leeks and salt, stirring to coat the leeks with the butter.
2. Cook leeks until they are tender. Stir occasionally and keep pan covered. Will take approximately 20 minutes.
3. When leeks are tender, add thyme, pepper and whipping cream. Simmer until thickened (about 15 minutes). Keep pan uncovered and continue to stir occasionally.
4. Remove from heat and set cooked leek mixture aside.
5. Using one tablespoon of unsalted butter, grease a large 9 by 13 ceramic or glass baking dish (I like using a large oval baking dish).
6. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
7. In a medium sized bowl combine the grated cheeses. Set aside.
8. Layer one-third of the sliced Yukon Gold potatoes on the bottom of the baking dish. Spread one-third of the leek mixture on top of the potatoes. Sprinkle one-third of the cheese mixture. Finally sprinkle one tablespoon of the chopped chives.
9. Repeat layering process two more times (reserving 1 tablespoon of chives).
10. Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and bake for 45 minutes. Remove the foil and continue baking until the potatoes are tender and top is golden brown (about 30 minutes).
11. Remove from oven, cover loosely with foil and allow to rest for 10-15 minutes before serving.
12. Sprinkle the remaining tablespoon of chives and serve.
Note: The Potato Leek Gratin goes perfectly with Beef Tenderloin. It would also be a great accompaniment to a baked ham or roasted chicken.
aaltedsugaredspiced.com was conceived 364 days ago. And now we are just a day away from its' one year anniversary. Like most endeavors (and relationships) I enter into, I jumped into it not knowing whether it would last, how it might evolve, or if I would stay committed (you know the slightly more reckless just 'do' versus the 'think, think, maybe, maybe not do' approach to life). However, what I knew was that its' sustainability or demise would, in large part, be my ability to give it the time and attention it needed as well as how I dealt with any of the obstacles I encountered along the way (because life is messy and it always has obstacles). As excited as I was about 'giving birth' to the blog, there was a part of me that thought it would be one followed only by a few of my friends who would cheer me on (their early and regular feedback meant much to me as it helped to keep me going). Yet, I also hoped it would also become a blog that would also take on a life of its own, one that would be read beyond this little posse of mine. But since I had never been on this type of journey before, I didn't know whether I should go out on the limb of high expectations or just play it safe and not have any. I ended up settling somewhere between the two ends of the expectation continuum.
On this almost one year anniversary of the blog, it appears that my compromised expectations were not just realized but exceeded. So to all of you who have followed this blog over the course of the year, I thank you!!! Not only for taking the time to read through the descriptions of the recipes but also for reading my musings about the lens through which I see the world, see life. As it turned out this blog became more than just a food blog.
Anniversaries of all kinds and birthdays have always been regarded (in my world) as noteworthy occasions. And so for me saltedsugaredspiced's impending one year anniversary is indeed a noteworthy one. Why? First, because there were moments when I wanted to walk away from the blog as it was much harder and more time consuming than I thought it would be. Every so often I needed to remind myself that those endeavors bringing us the greatest satisfaction and euphoric joy do indeed take work and commitment. And second, this blog was something I dreamt about creating for a very, very long time but had procrastinated in launching it because I came up with all sorts of reasons why I couldn't instead of focusing my energies on why I should (you know that old glass half-empty or half full lens).
Where saltedsugaredspiced goes or takes me in the year ahead I do not know for certain (but if I have the Leek Potato Gratin with a baked ham and eat some grapes on New Year's Day, the possibilities could be endlessly amazing!). But what I do know is that this is a journey I am looking forward to continuing, learning and growing from. I really do hope you will stay with me on it.
