Gary Rhodes' potato and leek gratin

I am afraid posts have been a little light on photographs recently.  What the the fun of holidays and the endless delights of eating out I've not been doing much cooking.  However, I'm back in the UK now, so I've found a recipe to try.  This is another from Gary Rhodes' "Rhodes Around Britain" and it sounds just the thing as the rain pours down in London and the nights start to draw in ...


Gary Rhodes' Potato and Leek Gratin

450g leeks

2 onions, sliced

25g unsalted butter

600ml double cream

450g potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced

1 small garlic clove, crushed

salt and freshly ground pepper

freshly grated nutmeg

50g mature cheddar cheese

Cut the leeks diagonally into 5mm slices and blanch in boiling water for 30 seconds.  Drain, rinse under cold water, rinse again and pat dry.  Be very careful cutting the leeks, when I worked in a cafe it was always the leeks that people would end up injuring themselves on ...

Cook the onions in butter for 2-3 minutes until softened.  Add the garlic and season with salt, pepper and nutmeg.  Bring to the boil and the stir in the leeks and onions.  Pour the mixture into the preheated shallow ovenproof gratin dish to the depth of 4cm, covering with the cream.

Place the dish into a roasting tray filled with very hot water and baked in a pre-heated oven at 180 degrees until the potatoes were cooked through and golden brown on top.  When the potatoes are easily pierced with a vegetable knife, they are ready.

Remove the dish from the hot water.  Top with the grated Chedder and glaze under hot grill until golden brown.  Yum.