Denise says:

I wanted to write a recipe that was substantial as all too often with meals at Pesach because of its restricted choice of carbohydrates, one tends to fill up on more matzahs which by day 3 or 4 does have is side effects!

I used the food processor to slice the potatoes, which certainly put some speed into its creation. If time is of the essence you can cook it in advance and reheat later. The salad adds both colour and texture and requires no last minute touches so is perfect for easy entertaining!

In my experiments, I served this to some friends who rarely eat vegetarian food and they thoroughly enjoyed their meat free meal.
Leeks are a popular vegetable particularly in soups, but they are quite versatile with their distinctive onion flavour. Try steaming, stir frying, roasting with other vegetables or simply boil in salted water and liquidise into a sauce for fish!

When preparing leeks, ensure that you trim the root end and coarse top. The easiest way to clean leeks is to slit them lengthways and rinse under cold running water to remove any grit.

This recipe is perfect for lunch or supper and will freeze.

Served with a fennel and orange salad

Preparation Time: 25 minutes
Cooking Time: 50 minutes
Serves: 6

Ingredients:

3 leeks – trimmed and sliced
1 red onion – peeled and sliced
3 cups leaf spinach – cooked and well drained
3 cups potatoes – finely sliced
3 cloves garlic - peeled and finely chopped
1 inch root ginger – peeled and finely chopped
1 cup vegetable stock
¾ cup heavy cream
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the topping
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
½ cup walnuts – roughly chopped

For the Salad
4 oranges – peeled and cut into segments
1 orange pepper – roughly chopped
2 fennel bulbs – roughly chopped
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon honey
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

1)Pre-heat the oven to 400ºF.
2)Place half of the sliced leeks and half of the sliced potato into a large casserole dish. Add the onion, cooked spinach and season with the garlic, ginger and salt and freshly ground black pepper.
3)Layer another row of the sliced leek and sliced potato so that the potato is on top.
4)Pour over the vegetable stock and cream. Season again and bake in the pre-heated oven for 40 minutes.
5)Remove the gratin from the oven and sprinkle over the grated Parmesan and chopped walnuts.
6)Return the dish to the oven for a final 10 minutes or until the potato is cooked.
7)Mix the olive oil and honey together. Place the orange segments, orange pepper and fennel in a salad bowl.
8)Dress the salad just before serving.

To serve the stylish way: Slice a portion of gratin onto a large plate with a portion of orange and fennel salad to the side.
Tagged in: Dairy, Dinner Party, Leeks, Potatoes, Shabbat, Shavuot, Vegetarian