This is a recipe that hails from my roots in Brittany where potatoes and leeks are featured prominently. When you are cooking for yourself or for the people you love, always make sure that you use the best, freshest, local, in-season ingredients.

Potato and Leek Fondue

Recipe details

Serves

4

To Assemble the Potato and Leek Fondue

Ingredients

  • Potato purée, recipe follows
  • Leek fondue, recipe follows
  • Burnt leek powder, recipe follows
  • Fried leeks, recipe follows
  • Pickled or confit spring onions
  • Beurre blanc, recipe follows
  • Small flowers, for garnish

Method

  1. To plate, spoon some of the potato purée onto a warm plate. Dust with a little of the leek powder. Add a spoonful of the leek fondue next to the potato and arrange the pickled onions around the perimeter. Top with a small pinch of fried leeks for texture. Spoon the beurre blanc around the potato purée and garnish with small flowers. Serve immediately.

For the Leek Fondue

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons salted butter
  • 20 ounces leek, white part only, thinly sliced
  • 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • 2 teaspoons crème fraîche
  • Salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper

Method

  1. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over low heat. Add the leek and cook, stirring occasionally until softened and translucent, about 25 minutes. Make sure the heat is low so that leeks don’t color at all. Add the lemon juice, Dijon mustard, crème fraîche, salt and pepper and cook gently on low heat for another 10 minutes.

For the Potato Purée

Ingredients

  • 1 pound Yukon gold potatoes, peeled, and cut into 2-inch pieces
  • ¼ cup crème fraîche, warmed, optional
  • ¼ cup unsalted butter
  • Salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper

Method

  1. In a medium saucepan, combine the potatoes with enough cold water to cover them. Bring to a boil; then immediately reduce the heat and simmer gently until they are tender and can be pierced easily with a knife, 10 to 15 minutes. Drain the potatoes completely and return to the pot. Using a potato masher or ricer, mash the potatoes until smooth. Add the butter, salt and pepper and optional crème fraiche, to taste. Cover and keep warm until ready to serve.

For the Burnt Leek Powder

Ingredients

  • 1 leek, green parts only

Method

  1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
  2. Thinly slice the leek and set it on a baking sheet. Cook in the oven until it toasts to a dark brown color, about 35-40 minutes. Stir every 15 minutes or so throughout the cooking time. Allow to cool; then, using a spice grinder, grind into a fine powder.

For the Fried Leeks

Ingredients

  • 1 large leek, the middle green-white part
  • Canola, sunflower or vegetable oil
  • Salt

Method

  1. Cut the leek into 3 inch-long, batons; then cut in half lengthwise. Cut again into very thin slices to obtain 3 inch-long, julienne.
  2. In a small saucepan or sauté pan, heat enough oil to fill the pan 2 inches deep and heat to 375°F. Add the leek and cook until lightly golden, about 2 minutes. Using a spider or slotted spoon, remove the julienne to a bowl and season lightly with salt. When cool, store in a dry place or in an airtight container until ready to serve.

For the Beurre Blanc

Ingredients

  • 1 cup white wine or Champagne vinegar
  • 1 clove garlic, crushed
  • 1 tablespoon minced shallots
  • 5 tarragon sprigs
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • Salt

Method

  1. In a small saucepan, combine wine or vinegar, garlic and shallot over medium heat. Cook until the mixture has reduced to about 4 tablespoons and the alcohol taste in the wine is cooked off. Add the sprigs of tarragon and let steep for a few minutes. Remove the aromatics and whisk in the butter a little at a time, moving the pan on and off the heat so that the butter is incorporated but does not boil. Season with lemon juice and salt to taste. Hold in a warm place until serving.