There are many things to love about this simple, comforting dish. It’s a sterling example of how a few humble ingredients can combine to create something much greater than the sum of their parts. It’s a meal that will take you on a highly rewarding mission – hunting for the right piece of cheese, the perfect potatoes, and a tasty piece of hand-crafted ham.
These rudimentary elements will combine in a culinary alchemy that’s at once elegant and rustic, something you’re as delighted to eat for Sunday dinner as you are for Tuesday’s lunch.
And once you’ve discovered how easy it is to layer these basic elements, you’ll be thinking – these potatoes could be rutabagas. This ham could be crumblings of sweet sausage meat. This cheese could be smoked Jarlsberg, shaved Pecorino, even gratings of nearly-forgotten Cheddar.
And you’d be right. Might as well rub the gratin dish with a halved clove of garlic, while you’re at it. And why not replace a portion of the cream with crème fraîche, since there’s some in the fridge. The whole idea of this gratin is to combine the scarce elements of the late winter pantry in a way that focuses their flavours, elevating the simple to create something sublime. Isn’t that what cooking is really about?
Comté cheese is similar to Gruyère, but with a mellower, more earthy character.
ham and leek gratin
4 or 5 large russet potatoes. sliced into thin rounds
2 large leeks, roots and dark green parts trimmed, sliced
2 C chopped ham
1 ½ C heavy cream
1 ½ C grated Comté cheese (or Gruyère)
dried thyme
salt and pepper
NOTES: A mandoline or food processor makes short work of the potatoes. Be sure to leave their skins on, they lend a subtle, earthy flavour to the gratin. Good artisanal ham is not nearly as salty as the supermarket variety, so dose your salt accordingly. You can use almost any good melting cheese in this recipe, but unpasteurized Comté or Gruyère is really worth hunting down.
1. Prepare all your ingredients: slice the unpeeled potatoes, trim and slice the leeks, chop the ham, grate the cheese, measure the cream, and place the salt, pepper, and thyme close to hand.
2. Put a double layer of slightly overlapping potato slices in the bottom of a 12×12 gratin dish. (Any sort of heavy, oven-safe glass, porcelain, or cast iron dish will do.) Scatter half the leeks, ham, and cheese over the potatoes. Pour half of the cream evenly over everything. Generously season with salt, pepper, and thyme.
3. Make another double layer of potato slices, and scatter the remaining leeks and ham over them. Also add half of the remaining cheese, saving a portion for the top. Season again with generous amounts of salt, pepper, and thyme, and pour over the remaining cream.
4. Make a final, single layer of potatoes, and sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top. Bake in a 375º F oven for 60 to 80 minutes, or until the potatoes yield to the point of a sharp knife and the cheese on top is browned and bubbling.
Always leave the skin on… and you are right about using what you have on hand to create a blend of logical flavors… do it all the time!
Great news for the leeks that we continue to buy but never* eat. Can’t wait to try it.
Steven
*actually, I think the last set Jennifer managed to boil into a gruel that was meant to promote weight loss. It mostly looked like the water that collects in the rain gutters along with the last fall leaves? Kind of a brackish/marshy green-brown. I imagine if I made that a mainstay of my diet, I would indeed lose weight. Not so sure the same could be said of the gratin.
What beautiful, simple photos! Love the shots of the stacked potatoes and the green onions. And I agree regarding the recipe…I’m still amazed at how a dish can come out of the oven so incredibly impressive in scope after being fashioned from just a few simple ingredients. This looks fantastic. Thanks for sharing!
This is food porn at it’s most decadent. I can’t believe you’re suggesting to me that I could eat this for Tuesday lunch. Are you trying to lead me astray?
Yes.
Great post, and timely. This sounds like a wonderful way to use the Easter ham leftovers.
Lovely photos, as usual!
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