Leek, ham and cheese gratin

Ingredients

• 4 leeks
• 3 slices cooked ham
• 5 slices of cheese (Edam, in our case)
• 150 g grated cheese (Emmental, mozzarella, etc.)

Materials

• Pressure cooker (optional)
• Baking dish

Preparation

• Trim the ends of the leeks and remove the tougher leaves. Keep the white parts and the more tender green parts. Wash, dry, and cut into pieces.
• Add 3 tablespoons of oil to the pot and sauté the leeks for 4 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Add water and salt to the pot and cook the leeks. If using a pressure cooker, they’ll be ready after 10 minutes from when the pressure valve rises. You can also cook them in a regular pot; in that case, they’ll take about 20 minutes.
• Drain as much of the leeks as possible and season with salt and pepper. You can also add nutmeg.
• Preheat oven to 390°F/200°C in natural convection mode. Transfer well-drained leeks to a gratin dish. Top with cheese slices, then ham. Finally, top with grated cheese.
• Bake for 10 minutes at 200°C (390°F). Then switch the oven to grill/broil for a few more minutes, until the top is golden brown. The grilling time will depend on your oven. Remove from the oven, let rest for a few minutes, and serve hot. That’s it—enjoy your leek gratin!

Observations

Make use of the leek leaves: When cleaning the leeks, discard the dark green, tougher leaves, but don’t throw away the lighter green parts, as you can use them—for example, to make stock. If you’re not planning to make stock right away, you can even freeze them until you need them.

For a heartier dish, you can add a layer of béchamel sauce to this leek gratin. It works wonderfully!

Cookware

Questions

Photos of members who cooked this recipe