During the time of many veg box leeks, I decided to try this recipe for leek gratin. It is absolutely amazing, but super rich. As you can see above, it is fantastic on crusty bread, and I have brought it as a side dish to potluck dinners. The recipe is forgiving, so you can scale it up and down as your leeks and casserole dish permit, basically the liquid needs to cover the veg and the topping needs to cover it all. So far, I’ve just made it with all the traditional dairy, but next time I might give it a try with oat milk and vegan cheese.

Ingredients

• 4 large leeks (2 lbs)
• salt and pepper
• 1 cup heavy cream/whipping cream/double cream (over 30% butterfat)
• 2 tablespoon dried parsley
• 1 tablespoon dried chives
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme (optional)
• 1 clove garlic pressed or minced
• 3/4 cup shredded Gruyere, or other good melty cheese (I’ve used the cheap smoked German processed cheese with good results, if you don’t want to splash out for all the spendy cheese)
• 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano Regianno cheese
• 1 cup bread crumbs

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 180C/350F and find a 8×12 baking/casserole dish.
• Trim the dark green leaves and the roots off the leeks. Slice the leeks in half lengthwise, then rinse very well under running water, making sure you wash off any dirt or sand. Trim the leeks appropriately to fit the baking dish, then place the leeks in the dish cut-side up. Sprinkle generously with salt, pepper and fresh thyme, then pour the cream over the leeks. Cover the dish tightly with foil, then bake for 50 minutes, until the leeks are mostly tender.
• In a small bowl, combine the parsley, chives, garlic, cheeses, and breadcrumbs. Sprinkle over leeks.
• Bake, uncovered, for 15 to 20 minutes, until the cheese and cream are bubbling.