This is a winter warmer with that classic combo of potato and leek. Serves two (hungry) or three (polite) people
2 medium sized leeks
400g new potatoes
150g hard goat’s cheese, grated
250ml single cream
1tbs English mustard
white pepper
sea salt to taste
10g butter
1 clove garlic peeled and bruised
Pre-heat your oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
Wash and trim the leeks, not taking off too much of the green. Carefully remove the outer leaves by slicing down just one side, so they’ll open out flat. You want them to be a bit like lasagne sheets for this. With the inner parts of the leek, just slice these finely.
Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and par boil the potatoes. When they’re done, lift them out with a draining spoon and set aside. Blanche the opened-out leek leaves for a couple of minutes and set aside.
Cut the potatoes into 4mm thick slices.
Melt the butter in a clean pan with the garlic clove. Add the chopped leeks and cook, stirring until translucent but not starting to colour. Remove the garlic, and add the single cream and mustard. Cover and bring to a simmer, then take off the heat and add most of the grated goat’s cheese. Stir well.
Layer the ingredients in a greased oven dish, alternating potatoes, creamy leek mixture and leek sheets. Finish off with the remainder of the cream and the reserved grated cheese. Bake in the oven for half an hour and serve with seasonal veg or salad!
