Potato Leek Gratin

By Brittny -
This flavor is super fancy and awesome. The recipe is good if you also have extra heavy cream in your fridge from pie time. I took leftovers to work and people commented on how good it smelled. Instead of a Dutch oven cheesy potato, this was like a subtle fancy cheese and onion potato. I will definitely be making this again. It gets a solid 8. This picture is right before putting it in the oven.





Recipe came from NYTimes cooking blog and they have decent recipes on there (I pay for a subscription so there you go, you lucky people). I would probably want to buy one of those mandolin(?) choppy things though, for next time. Also, this is my first time cooking with leeks. You don't actually use the really green part because that's the tough part. Don't try to go too fancy with the cheese. I put a tiny bit extra than it called for and it was plenty. The only problematic part was the fresh thyme - it called for two sprigs but I felt like that was nothing so I threw a bunch in there (which I recommend). But then they were hard to get out of the pan because your'e supposed to saute them with the leeks and then discard them. Next time, I'll tie them with a bit of unflavored floss beforehand so they are easier to take out when they've sautéed enough.


  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, more for greasing the pan
  • 2 large leeks, trimmed and halved lengthwise
  • 1 ½ pounds peeled Yukon Gold potatoes ( I used Red and they were great)
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 2 thyme sprigs (honestly, how much is a sprig?)
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1 fat garlic clove, finely chopped ( I added more garlic because garlic is awesome)
  • 1 bay leaf
  • ¼ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg (I didn't taste this much. Maybe 1/2 tsp next time?)
  • ¾ cup Gruyère, grated
  1. Heat oven to 350 degrees and butter a 2-quart gratin dish. Wash the leeks to remove any grit and slice thinly crosswise.
  1. Using a mandoline or sharp knife, slice the potatoes into rounds, 1/8-inch thick. Toss with 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Layer the rounds in the gratin dish.
  1. Melt the 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add leeks, remaining salt and pepper, and thyme. Cook, stirring, until leeks are tender and golden, 5 to 7 minutes. Discard thyme and scatter the leeks over the potatoes.
  1. Add cream, garlic and bay leaf to the skillet, scraping up browned bits of leeks from the bottom of the pan. Simmer gently for 5 minutes. Stir in nutmeg.
  1. Pour the cream over the leeks and potatoes and top with the Gruyère. Cover with aluminum foil and transfer to the oven. Bake for 40 minutes, uncover and bake until the cheese is bubbling and golden, 15 to 20 minutes longer. Let cool slightly before serving


Here's the link:

http://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1013511-potato-leek-gratin

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