August 28, 2018
Greetings All,
Another heat wave! My, my. This is the Baked Apple!
Despite adversity in the form of unrelenting torrential rains, Stoneledge Farm has continued to send us beautiful vegetables. How lucky are we!
This week’s recipe will turn your leeks and potatoes into something delicious that is not potato leek soup. It’s not that I don’t love potato leek soup. It’s just that we need a little variety, right? So here is a recipe for a casserole of potatoes and leeks, a super side dish that goes with pretty much anything.
CASSEROLE OF POTATOES AND LEEKS
Ingredients:
2 lbs potatoes
¾ cups warm milk (can be whole, 2% or skim)
2 TBS grated Parmesan cheese
1 TBS butter
2 leeks
3 slices crisp bacon, diced
2 TBS olive oil
salt & pepper to taste
Crunchy Topping:
¼ cup Panko bread crumbs
1 TBS melted butter
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- Slice and clean the leeks.
- Lightly spray a 1.5-2 quart baking dish with cooking spray or olive oil spray.
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the leeks. Cook until the leeks are translucent, about 5 minutes, then set aside.
- Cook the potatoes in salted boiling water until tender. Drain.
- Add the first tablespoon of butter and mash the potatoes until smooth.
- Add the milk in small amounts, until the potatoes are creamy, yet hold their body. You might not need to use all the milk. Salt and pepper to taste.
- Mix the Panko crumbs with the melted butter.
- Fold the cooked leeks, parmesan cheese and bacon into the potatoes. Turn the mixture into the prepared pan and top with the buttered Panko crumbs.
- Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until it is heated through and the crumbs are golden brown.
HELPFUL HINT: To clean leeks, cut the dark green part off. Slice the remaining part into thin slices and put them into a bowl of cold water. The leeks will float on the surface of the water and the sand will drop down to the bottom. Use a strainer to scoop out the leeks, leaving the sand behind. If you are not using chopped leeks, don’t slice the leeks. Slit them lengthwise, spread them apart and rinse under cold running water.
That’s it. I hope you love this recipe as much as I do.
Have a delicious week!
Best,
Judi