VCE: Potato And Leek Gratin

[Guest guest]

I spent some time this weekend just reading Vegetarian Cooking for

Everyone. Again, over and over, I am so impressed with this book. It

teaches us so much about cooking and food. Kathleen

 

* Exported from MasterCook *

 

Potato And Leek Gratin

 

Recipe By : Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone, Deborah Madison, page 282

Serving Size : 4 Preparation Time :0:00

Categories : Potatoes Side Dishes

Vegetables

 

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method

-------- ------------ --------------------------------

1 garlic clove and butter for the dish

3 pounds russet or Yukon Gold potatoes

peeled and very thinly sliced

1 quart milk

1 bay leaf

3 thyme sprigs or 2 pinches dried

3 garlic cloves -- thinly sliced

2 large leeks -- thinly sliced

white parts only

Salt and freshly milled white pepper

Grated nutmeg

1 cup grated Gruyère -- up to 2

2 tablespoons butter

cut into small pieces

 

SERVES 4 TO 6

 

Few foods elicit the rapturous sighs that a golden gratin of potatoes

does. Simmering the potatoes and leeks in milk first ensures that your

potatoes end up fully tender. And the leftover milk - thickened with

potato starch and well flavored - makes a marvelous base for a soup. Serve

with a salad and chilled Applesauce or Apple-Quince Sauce (see separate

recipes.).

 

Preheat the oven to 375F. Rub a 9- x 12-inch gratin dish thoroughly with

the garlic, then with butter to coat well.

 

Put the potatoes in a pot with the milk, herbs, sliced garlic, leeks, and 2

teaspoons salt. Slowly bring to a boil, then simmer until the potatoes are

barely tender but not to the point of falling apart. Discard the bay leaf

and thyme. Drain.

 

Make a single layer of potatoes, leeks, and garlic in the dish. Season

with pepper, a little nutmeg, and cover lightly with cheese. Repeat until

all the potatoes and cheese are used up, ending with a layer of

cheese. Add enough of the milk to come up to the last layer of potatoes

about 1 1/2 cups - dot with the butter, then bake until a golden crust has

formed on top, about an hour.

 

Variation with Other Cheeses: Try Italian fontina, Cheddar, Cantal, or, in

half the amount, Gorgonzola dolcelatte in place of the Gruyere.

 

Variation with Other Vegetables: Add these vegetables to the cooked

potatoes: thinly sliced, partially cooked celery root or fennel; grated

parsley root; a layer of sautéed porcini, chanterelle, or white mushrooms;

or trimmed, quartered artichokes, parboiled for 5 minutes, then thinly sliced.

 

 

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