Mab Made Food: Recipes, Lunches, & Weekly Menu Plans
Recipe: Potato, Cheese, and Leek Pie
This is a little fussy to make but it’s worth the fuss sometimes. If you want a show stopper vegetarian main you can do worse than this. This pie would pair nicely with a good creamy soup and a fancy salad. The type of cheese you use will basically be the main flavor so I suggest going for something local that has the flavors you personally like. I used a creamy, nutty almost sweet cheese and that pairs beautifully with the leeks and potatoes here. You can skip the nuts if you want but it helps with the texture.
Potato, Cheese, and Leek Pie
AuthorMabCategoryDifficultyIntermediate
Yields8 ServingsPrep Time40 minsCook Time40 minsTotal Time1 hr 20 mins
Ingredients
800gpotatoes
100gstrong cheese (I used gruyère), grated
40gcrushed walnuts or almonds
400gpuff pastry
Leek Sauce
1medium leek, diced
1small onion, diced
30gbutter
150mlheavy cream (at least 30% fat)
salt, pepper, nutmeg
50gstrong cheese, grated
Directions
1
Prep the potatoes: boil the potatoes whole for at least 20 minutes, probably a full 30 until they are tender but not completely cooked (the fork should pierce about halfway through). Set aside to cool.
2
Make the leek sauce: In a small pan, fry the onions and leeks with the butter on low heat until tender, about 10 to 15 minutes. Add salt and pepper. Turn the heat off then pour in the cream, cheese, and top with nutmeg. Stir until the cheese is melted and set aside to cool.
3
When the potatoes are cool enough to be handled, the cut them into thin slices and set aside.
4
Assemble: Once the leek sauce and potatoes have cooled, divide the puff pastry into two equal sized pieces and roll or shape the puff pastry into two identical circles. Take the bottom circle and on a lined baking tray start assembling your layers: potatoes in a round on the bottom (leaving a few cms at the edges), some crushed walnuts, cheese, and then topping with leek mixture. Repeat for 2 or 3 more layers until all the potatoes and cream sauce have been used up.
5
Top the domed structure of potatoes, cheese, and sauce with the second piece of puff pastry and crimp or seal the edges with a fork.
6
Lightly prick or pattern the top of the pastry with a knife to allow steam to escape before placing in a 180°C oven for 30-35 minutes until the top has browned lightly.
Prep the potatoes: boil the potatoes whole for at least 20 minutes, probably a full 30 until they are tender but not completely cooked (the fork should pierce about halfway through). Set aside to cool.
2
Make the leek sauce: In a small pan, fry the onions and leeks with the butter on low heat until tender, about 10 to 15 minutes. Add salt and pepper. Turn the heat off then pour in the cream, cheese, and top with nutmeg. Stir until the cheese is melted and set aside to cool.
3
When the potatoes are cool enough to be handled, the cut them into thin slices and set aside.
4
Assemble: Once the leek sauce and potatoes have cooled, divide the puff pastry into two equal sized pieces and roll or shape the puff pastry into two identical circles. Take the bottom circle and on a lined baking tray start assembling your layers: potatoes in a round on the bottom (leaving a few cms at the edges), some crushed walnuts, cheese, and then topping with leek mixture. Repeat for 2 or 3 more layers until all the potatoes and cream sauce have been used up.
5
Top the domed structure of potatoes, cheese, and sauce with the second piece of puff pastry and crimp or seal the edges with a fork.
6
Lightly prick or pattern the top of the pastry with a knife to allow steam to escape before placing in a 180°C oven for 30-35 minutes until the top has browned lightly.
