Photo by Jun Pang
What else goes better together than leeks, bacon and potatoes?
There are so many versions of these flavours but none more recognizable than in the famous soup, potato and leek as we know it or cock-a-leekie of Scotland or the French version, vichyssoise. These soups, no matter what version you pick, have two ingredients that are a match made in heaven, leeks and potatoes. Separately, these two ingredients are unassuming, almost boring but combine it together with lashings of butter and cream and you have something totally wonderful, something “mind-blowingly” simple but absolutely tasty and top it off with my favourite ingredient of all time, bacon – and boy you have a flavour sensation that will remain with you for the rest of your life.
I simply cream the leeks in butter by softly cooking it on low heat until the butter and leeks meld into one gooey, tasty mess. The bacon is an addition simply to add that smokey, porky goodness infusion in the gooey mess. Really, if you didn’t want to to put it in with potatoes, you can spread it on nice toasted brioche and grill some nice stinky cheese like a taleggio or munster cheese on top and you still have something totally awesome and a flavour over load. You would only need a bite and I bet you would feel full.
Try this, if you love one pot or one pan wonders, you would love this shizzle. Bake it in baking tins, bring it to your next BBQ and warm it up in the Webber to get that smokey flavour and it will be gone in seconds. Like I said, it’s got all the “all star” ingredients like butter, cream, bacon, cheese, potatoes and leeks! Baked potato with a punch!
Potato Bake with Leek & Bacon
Serves 8 people
250gr Butter
6 Rashes of Bacon – finely sliced
1 Large Brown Onion – peeled and sliced
2 Leeks – washed, split lengthways and finely sliced
3 Cups Cream
2 Kg Kipfler Potatoes – par boiled, ¾ cooked
2 Cups Shredded Cheddar
4 Sprigs Thyme
Method
- Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius
- Heat up a large oven proof pan on medium heat for 2 minutes
- Add the butter and melt
- Add the bacon and cook for 5 minutes, stirring continuously
- Add the onion and leek and sauté for 5 minutes or until the onions and leeks are softened
- Add the cream and simmer for about 10 minutes, slightly reducing the cream and to help develop flavours
- Add the potatoes and stir through until well covered
- Off the heat, add shredded cheese on top and bake in preset oven for 15 minutes
Photo by Jun Pang