This gratin is hearty and filling, with golden potatoes, Japanese yams, and smoked gouda. The proportions are for a small casserole for two, but you can easily double the recipe for a larger meal.
On the Ingredients
- Japanese sweet potatoes (sometimes incorrectly called yams) are a variety of sweet potatoes with purple skin and cream-colored insides. They’re starchier than orange sweet potatoes and have a nutty flavor with hints of honey. In Japan, they are usually enjoyed as yaki imo (baked), and in the past, yaki imo men used to sell them from traveling carts, much like ice cream trucks. They are also enjoyed as daigaku imo, candied with a hard caramel coating and sesame seeds.
- Leeks are an allium related to garlic, chives, and onions. They are a long white stalk that turns into green leaf sheaths. Leeks have a sweet, mildly onion-like flavor, which pairs well with potatoes, dairy, eggs, fish, and poultry. If you can’t find leeks in stock, you can substitute with green onions, white onions, or shallots. Like dill, leeks have flavonoids (antioxidants) that have anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetic, and anticancer properties (more on health benefits).
Potato and leek Gratin
Servings
2
servingsPrep time
15
minutesCooking time
40
minutesTotal time
55
minutesThis gratin is hearty and filling, with golden potatoes, Japanese yams, and smoked gouda. The proportions are for a small casserole for two, but you can easily double the recipe for a larger meal.
Ingredients
1 large golden potato
1 large Japanese yam
1 large carrot
1 leek
2 gloves garlic
2 tbsp butter
3 tbsp flour
3 cups 2% milk
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp back pepper
a pinch of nutmeg
1 cup smoked gouda
1/2 cup cheddar cheese
1/4 cup panko
Directions
- Peel the potato and cut it into large, bite-sized pieces. Put the pieces in a bowl of cold water, so they don’t oxidize.
- Wash the Japanese yam and slice it into large, bite-sized pieces, and put them in the water with the potato. Peel the carrot and chop it into large chunks.
- Bring a pot of water to boil and cook each veggie one at a time until they are about half cooked, using a slotted spoon to scoop them out and set them aside.
- Chop the white part of the leek into inch-long pieces. Mince the garlic. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter and sauté the garlic over medium-low heat, and leek until the garlic gets fragrant.
- Add the flour and stir it into the butter, letting it brown. Add the milk in a little at a time, stirring continuously to keep it from getting lumpy. When all the milk is incorporated, bring it to a simmer.
- Add the smoked gouda, salt, pepper, and nutmeg to the sauce. Continue to cook the sauce, stirring occasionally, until it’s thickened to the consistency of chowder.
- Add the cooked potato, yam, and carrot. Remove from heat.
- Preheat the oven to 350° F.
- Pour the veggies and sauce into a casserole dish or small dutch oven. We used an 8” dutch oven. Cover the top of the casserole with cheddar cheese and panko. Bake for 20-30 minutes, until the top, is golden brown and the sauce has reduced, creating hollows between the top veggies. Serve hot!
