Leek And Potato Cake Food

POTATO AND LEEK CAKES

Steps:

• Add the potatoes to a boiling pot of water and cook until soft, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat, drain and mash with the butter and milk. Set aside.
• In a medium skillet set over high heat add one teaspoon of the butter, the leeks and garlic. Cook for 5 - 8 minutes. The leeks should be soft and slightly golden in colour. Set aside.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, parsley, salt and pepper. Transfer the mashed potatoes to a large bowl and stir in the mayonnaise mixture and the bread crumbs. Stir well.
• On a clean flat surface, start making your little potato cakes. I usually take a small handful and start forming a little patty by using two hands and going around the sides until I get the desired shape. Repeat for the following potato cakes. For this recipe you should get 6 - 8, depending on how big you make them. Once you have done this, gently roll them all in flour.
• Cover and refrdgerate for 30 minutes to allow them to set. This will make them easier to cook.
• In a large non stick skillet, heat enough vegetable just to cover the bottom. Once it is hot, add as many potato cakes to the pan as you can. Don't over crowd the pan or it will be difficult to flip them. I do mine 4 at a time. Cook each side for about 5 minutes or until golden brown and crispy. Remove from pan and drain on paper towels, Repeat for all potato cakes.
• These potato cakes are best served fresh. If you choose to make them in advance and serve them later they will not be crisp and may lose their shape.

LEEK AND POTATO CAKES

Steps:

• Preheat your oven to 180 C and grease a muffin pan well.
• Use the food processor or finely chops the leek, herbs and garlic.
• Grate the potatoes and combine with the leek and herbs in a large bowl.
• Add the eggs and cheese and mix well.
• Season with salt and pepper.
• Spoon the mixture into the muffin pan, filling each space half to 3/4 full.
• Bake in a moderate oven for 30-40 minutes or until the top is golden and crispy.

LEEK AND POTATO CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter an oval baking dish. Drain the leeks and rinse.
• In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the leeks and thyme, season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring, until the leeks are softened and golden, 5 to 7 minutes.
• Peel and slice the potatoes into very thin rounds. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Layer half of the potatoes in the buttered dish, then layer half of the cooked leeks over the potatoes. Repeat the layers.
• Return the skillet to medium heat and add the cream cheese, cream, chicken stock and garlic. Stir together, scraping up any brown bits from the bottom of the skillet. Sprinkle with the paprika and some salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, lower to a simmer and simmer for about 5 minutes so the cheese melts. Pour the cream mixture over the leeks and potatoes and top with the grated cheese.
• Cover with foil and transfer to the oven. Bake for 40 minutes, then remove the foil and continue baking until the cheese is bubbly and golden, 15 to 20 minutes more. Allow to cool slightly before serving.

LEEK AND POTATO CAKE

Steps:

• For the dough: Add the flour, butter and salt into the bowl of a stand mixer. Run the machine at its slowest setting for 5 to 7 minutes. Add the yolk, and as the butter starts breaking into the dough, you will notice that your mix will start looking like coarse crumbs. As time goes by, the crumbs will become smaller and smaller until the dough will start forming. This is the only tricky part: in case the dough is not forming right (it's usually because of a small egg yolk), slowly add the cold water, not all at once, just the right amount for the dough to come alive and start detaching from the sides of the bowl. Remove the dough from the mixer, form it into a disc and put it to rest, covered in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Butter an 11-inch tart pan.
• For the filling: In a pot of boiling water, cook the potatoes half way, for about 15 minutes, then remove from the hot water and set aside to cool off. Once cool, slice into thin slices.
• In a medium pan, saute the leeks and shallots over medium heat in the oil and butter until soft and just golden, about 7 minutes. (Or saute the leeks and shallots with the guanciale.) Let cool.
• In a bowl, beat the eggs, milk, Parmesan and some salt and pepper. Add the leeks and shallots to the egg mixture and stir well with a fork until all the ingredients are evenly distributed.
• Dust some flour on a flat surface. Lightly dust your wood rolling pin and start working the dough. Do not press too hard, give the dough some time to respond to the pin and start softening up. Flip it a couple of times, dust it with flour, and mostly importantly do not guess the size. Keep the buttered pan close and prop it on top of the dough from time to time. Keep in mind that you will have to roll the dough a bit wider, as the pan has edges that need to be completely covered. Place the dough into the tart pan and, using a fork, poke holes into it to prevent swelling during the cooking process.
• Pour the egg mixture slowly into the dough, using a spoon to make sure you create an even layer. Get creative and place the sliced potatoes very gently on top of the egg mixture, creating a pleasant concentric pattern. Sprinkle the top of the cake with freshly grated Parmesan, 3 or 4 small tabs of butter and some ground pepper. Place the pan on a sheet tray.
• Cook in the oven for about 45 minutes, but make sure you check the cake after the first half hour, turn it around once or twice, and keep an eye on its color, which is the best indicator. The cake will be ready when the crust looks golden and the butter and cheese on top have become crisp and irresistible! When ready, let your new creation rest and settle for about 10 minutes, then remove from the pan and serve warm. Buon Appetito!

TOMATO, LEEK AND POTATO BAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F degrees.
• Grease a 5 cup shallow ovenproof dish.
• Scrub and thinly slice the potatoes, layer them with the leeks and tomatoes in the dish, scattering some rosemary between the layers and ending with a layer of potatoes.
• Add the garlic to the stock, stir in salt if needed and pepper to taste, then pour over the veggies.
• Brush the top layer of potatoes with olive oil.
• Bake for 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours until the potatoes are tender and topping is golden and slightly crisp.

POTATO CAKES WITH LEEK AND CARROT

Steps:

• Wrap grated potatoes in several layers of paper towels and squeeze dry. Place potatoes in large bowl. Add leek and carrot and toss to combine. Season generously with salt and pepper.
• Melt 2 tablespoons butter in each of 2 heavy medium skillets over medium-low heat. Add half of vegetable mixture (about 2 cups) to each skillet. Using metal spatula, flatten vegetables in each skillet to 7- to 8-inch-diameter cake. Cover skillets and cook cakes until crisp and brown at edges, about 12 minutes. Turn cakes over. Cook uncovered until vegetables are cooked through and cakes are crisp and brown on bottom, about 5 minutes longer. (Can be prepared 3 hours ahead. Transfer to baking sheet and let stand at room temperature. Rewarm in 375°F oven until crisp, about 10 minutes.) Transfer cakes to plates. Serve with sour cream, if desired.

CHEESY LEEK AND POTATO BAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 220°C.
• Boil potatoes. Cut leeks into 1 cm slices. Melt 1/2 of the butter in a pan and cook leeks for about 10 minutes.
• Drain and mash potatoes with the other 1/2 of butter, the egg and 3/4 of the cheese.
• Season to taste, stir in the leeks and turn into a large ovenproof dish.
• Top with remaining cheese and bake for about 10 minutes, until golden. Will take longer if you have prepared the dish in advance.