Leeky Potato Bake
Leeks are most often used in soups, but this is a pretty good application for making them a hearty vegetable that will be welcome at your table.
Remember that leeks tend to have dirt inside them. Always cut them in half, separate the layers and wash them well. Then you can just lay them on the cutting board and slice them as you need.
I recommend medium leeks. The bigger ones tend to be more woody and harder to get tender.
This recipe calls for optional herb. The recipe is great without this, but the flavors of thyme, oregano, marjoram or rosemary would be great additions. If you have these things growing in your garden use them here.
I made this with sweet potatoes, but if you have eaters who don’t like sweet potatoes you could do this with white potatoes. All the instructions stay the same.
Yield: 4 – 6 servings
Time: 1 hour
Preheat the oven to 400°
Ingredients
2 medium leeks
2 tbsp olive oil, divided
6 clvs garlic, minced
1-2 tbsp chopped fresh herb (optional)
2 med sweet (or white) potatoes, peeled and cut into ¼ inch slices
½ cup vegetable broth (I like Better Than Bouillon Garlic)
½ cup panko breadcrumbs
Instructions:
Coat a 9x9 pan (or something similar) with cooking spray and add 1 tbsp of olive oil on the bottom.
Heat 1 Tbs. oil in nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add leeks and garlic. Sauté 8-10 minutes, or until softened. Add the herbs and toss. Add pepper to taste, but hold off on salt until after you add the broth.
Arrange one-third potato slices over bottom of prepared pan, overlapping slightly. Spread half of leek mixture on top. Arrange another one-third sweet potato slices over leeks; top with remaining leeks, followed by remaining sweet potatoes. Drizzle broth over dish. Cover pan tightly with foil, and bake 20-30 minutes. (The potatoes should be getting soft, but not quite there yet.)
Remove foil from gratin to test the and sprinkle with breadcrumb mixture. Bake, covered for another 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are fully tender.