Roasted Carrots
Martha Rose Shulman
5175 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
5,175
About 1 hour
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Heat oven to 350 degrees and butter a 2-quart gratin dish. Wash the leeks to remove any grit and slice thinly crosswise.
Using a mandoline or sharp knife, slice the potatoes into rounds, ⅛-inch thick. Toss with ¾ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Layer the rounds in the gratin dish.
Melt the 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add leeks, remaining salt and pepper, and thyme. Cook, stirring, until leeks are tender and golden, 5 to 7 minutes. Discard thyme and scatter the leeks over the potatoes.
Add cream, garlic and bay leaf to the skillet, scraping up browned bits of leeks from the bottom of the pan. Simmer gently for 5 minutes. Stir in nutmeg.
Pour the cream over the leeks and potatoes and top with the Gruyère. Cover with aluminum foil and transfer to the oven. Bake for 40 minutes, uncover and bake until the cheese is bubbling and golden, 15 to 20 minutes longer. Let cool slightly before serving.
I've found the easiest way to clean leeks is to slice of roots end, split them down the middle, stand in a tall jug, run water over them til jug is full and water looks clear. Allow to stand in the water and any dirt usually sinks to the bottom of the jug.
I make this in layers -- half the potatoes, leeks, half the Gruyere, potatoes, pour cream, then the rest of the Gruyere. This is a very good dish!
One clove of garlic? As Lynne Rossetto Kasper would say, "Why bother"? I'd up it to 4-6 cloves. Richard Olney, in recipes such as Gratin Dauphinois, would also use a cut clove of garlic when he started the recipe to rub down the interior of the gratin dish, and then let it dry there as he continued on.
Smelled delicious in the oven. Looked less than delicious coming out. Love at first bite. I used a truly fat clove of a garlic, and I regret nothing.
Obvious first adjustment is to triple the garlic. Better if you use the 3 leeks that are normally bundled so at the market. Fresh thyme: inconvenient and can overpower. Use a dash of dried oregano and rosemary instead so the taste of leeks is more face forward. Double the shredded gruyere topping and finish at 400-425 for a crisper brown crust, ease in cutting, and the serving of tight, coherent portions, Layering the Gruyere amidst the potatoes can result in a runnier dish needing a soup spoon
I have made this with chicken broth instead of cream. It's delicious and less rich. I also add parsley, but then I add it to everything.
At the risk of being voted off the island (Manhattan Island, that is) I confess that, out of gruyere and 20 miles from the nearest civilized supermarket, I used cheddar, and it was wonderful. I kept the leeks on top, as the recipe called for, omitted the nutmeg because it's really not suited to cheddar, and used half and half instead of whipping cream--and 3 fat garlic cloves. Fantastic both in looks and flavor--the leeks were positively creamy, the sliced potatoes a slightly firm surprise.
I cooked it as stated a day ahead of the dinner party, it was refrigerated overnight and then warmed as the rack of lamb cooked at 400-450, for 20 minutes. It was fabulous with each person wanting the recipe.
Like Tessa, I baked this as a layered dish. I doubled the recipe so the layers were nicely defined. I love leeks and used 3 lg leeks rather than two per recipe. I also increased the amount of cream by half, and the amt of butter by half for each recipe. It is an excellent recipe, although it would be too time labor intensive without the use of a mandoline. (I use a handheld one that cost very little but works wonders in prepping a dish such as this one.)
If you divide this dish into 8 servings, there would be 285 cal, 8.8 gm protein, 16.8 gm carbs, 1.4 gm dietary fiber and 20.8 gm fat per serving. This is, therefore, one serving of carbohydrates for a diabetic.
It would be REALLY helpful if this food section includes the nutrients , as a guide to healthy eating. There are MANY diabetics. Others watch their caloric intake, total fat consumption, gluten content, etc. Not everyone has the time to sit and calculate the nutrients for each recipe.
Hands down best gratin I’ve had. Made for a dinner party to rave reviews. None of the issues of other recipes (too runny, too bland, etc.). Used 2 lbs Yukon, 3 garlic cloves, 3 leeks and a handful more of gruyere. Everything else according to recipe. Cooked first segment day ahead then refrigerated and finished next day uncovered with the roast. Very forgiving recipe—you can’t go wrong.
Add additional leek/Triple the Garlic. Start with leeks - longer saute to golden. Layer the Potatoes/Leek/Cheese. Prep is at least an hour. Bake first segment of 40 min the day or morning before, to simplify cooking for the main meal.
Step 1 states to thinly slice the washed and halved leeks crosswise. You'll end up with thin half moon slices.
Excellent! Didn't peel potatoes and needed about 20-30 minutes baking time so that potatoes were done. This is a winner.
To get the true golden color for the leeks, I sautéed them for another 10-15 minutes. So to keep things on schedule, I recommend starting with the leek sautéing and then do the potato slicing and layering while the leeks are still warming up.
Can the potatoes be cut the day before and held in the fridge in order to save time?
What size gratin dish did you all use? I’m not sure whether it all shrinks as it bakes or if I need a huge dish..?
Needs more liquid
This is a delicious recipe but it needed about 1 hour and 30-40 minutes to bake so please account for this if you're throwing a party. I had to stall for a half hour while my dinner guests drank wine. Thankfully I tasted it first and realized it needed to go back in the oven. Some guests said this gratin was their favorite thing they ate. Fyi, I would not recommend making this a day ahead and re-warming like some of the reviews claim. The texture is just not the same.
Need to cook leeks a long time to brown. Don’t underdo it
I made it exactly as written, except I didn't peel the potatoes. This was delicious, but I think next time I'll cook the leeks slightly longer and layer them with the potatoes. I found by plopping the leeks all on top of the potatoes that when I went to cut into it, the leeks slid off the potatoes. I may also layer a little bit of the gruyere in it, too. I used a big fat clove as written. I know many suggested add more garlic, but I found the flavor as written was perfect.
I read a lot of great reviews prior to cooking. I used three leaks and about 2.5 lbs of yellow potatoes. I added 3/4 cup of cream and 3/4 cup of chicken broth directly in with the cooked leeks. I did not layer the potatoes and leeks. The gruyer is devine! My husband loved this dish, as did I!!
This dish is a creamy potato dream!
I find some comments to be rather…unremarkable. The old, ex-chef in me found this recipe, as written, just delicious. The single “fat” garlic clove from my garden’s bounty was ideal; the 7 scrawny leeks (my garden too) were equiv. of 2 large, thus plenty, and 2 sprigs of fresh thyme from the plant conveniently planted outside my door made for a delight, although oregano and rosemary both live in my yard too (and can overpower easily in novice hands). A fine gratin, as expected from Ms Clark.
This dish was delicious. I thought the liquid from the cream would make the dish runny, but it was absorbed and came out of the oven golden and perfect to cut. This will go into the rotation at my house. Thanks Melissa.
I made this exactly as the recipe dictates except with so many voting for extra garlic….I went for it. 2 fat cloves. Fabulous dish….it was called the “star of the dinner” by my guests. Yum!
Leeks always seem to be holding a lot of soil. I take them completely apart and put them into a salad spinner. Then I fill the spinner with water and work the leeks to release all the dirt and sand. I do this at least twice, or until I am getting no dirt settling out. Then I spin them.
Use only Yukon gold. Use deep enough dish, leave one inch for bubbling. Cook for 60 covered, then add extra cheese and 40 uncovered.
Utterly delicious. I added some lemon juice into the cream and the slight tang was nice. Substituted dried thyme in lieu of fresh and added extra garlic. Will definitely make again!
Do not overheat cream. I used half and half and it curdled
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