Leeks baked in white sauce with crispy breadcrumbs and optional cheese. Makes a gorgeous side dish or even the star of the show. It's easy to make a vegan version too.
Prep Time10 minutesmins
Cook Time30 minutesmins
Total Time40 minutesmins
Course: Main Course, Side Dish, Supper
Cuisine: British
Keyword: breadcrumbs, gratin, leeks, vegan, white sauce
25gflour(I tend to use ordinary plain flour for white sauce, but if using wholemeal flour, sieve out the largest bits of bran)
25gbutter
50mldouble cream (heavy cream)
fresh nutmeg
50gbreadcrumbs(I usually use wholemeal breadcrumbs)
25ghard cheese(optional) grated
Instructions
Place the milk in a small pan with the clove and bayleaf. Heat the milk until almost boiling, then turn off the heat and leave it to infuse for twenty minutes.
100 ml milk, 1 whole clove, 1 bay leaf
Meanwhile, trim the ends off the leeks and wash them thoroughly. Cut into 8-10 cm (3-4") lengths. Cut any particularly thick pieces in half lengthways.
3 large leeks
Turn the oven on to 200℃ (400℉, Gas 6).
Place the leeks in a lidded pan with a pinch of salt and add just enough water to cover. Bring to the boil with the lid on and simmer for about 7 minutes or until tender. You should be able to slide a sharp knife in easily, but the leeks should still hold together.
Drain the leeks but reserve the water. Place them into a small greased gratin or ovenproof dish.
Melt the butter in a pan over a low heat. Stir in the flour until well mixed and leave it to cook for a minute or two. Keep it on a low heat as you don't want the flour to brown.
25 g butter, 25 g flour
Measure 100 ml of the reserved leek water and slowly add it to the flour mixture whisking as you go. Make sure you add the liquid bit by bit and keep whisking to ensure there are no lumps in between each addition. Remove the clove and bay leaf from the milk and whisk that in too. You should have a thickish, but beautifully smooth sauce. Stir in the cream.
50 ml double cream (heavy cream)
Bring the sauce to a gentle simmer, stirring as you go. Cook for 2-3 minutes, then grate in a little nutmeg. Add salt and pepper to taste. If you'd like some cheese, add it at this point.
fresh nutmeg, salt and pepper
Pour the white sauce over the leeks, then scatter the breadcrumbs over the top.
50 g breadcrumbs
Bake on the top shelf for 20 minutes or until the sauce is bubbling and the breadcrumbs have browned.
Allow to cool for a few minutes and serve.
Notes
For a vegan version, swap the butter for olive oil, plant milk for the milk and cream and ground or chopped nuts for the cheese.Serves four as a side dish and two as a main or supper dish.Please note: calories and other nutritional information are per serving. They’re approximate and will depend on exact ingredients used.