Leek, potato, cheese and bacon bake

While we're in this coronavirus lockdown, I'm attempting to rustle up an easy meal using produce available from local farmer's stalls and common store cupboard items.

The only item that you might not have is the cheese powder. In which case, just use 100g of grated cheddar.

I've used a food processor to thinly slice the leeks and potatoes, but they could just as easily be sliced by hand.

Ingredients

Printable 🖨 shopping 🛒 list & 👩‍🍳 method for this recipe

• 2 large potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced - I've used Cara potatoes
• 1 large leek, cleaned, trimmed and thinly sliced.
• 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
• 1 heaped teaspoon of taste sensation cajun seasoning
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley
• 3 tablespoons Taste Sensation Matured Blue Cheese powder
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons plain flour
• 400 ml milk
• 30 g cheddar cheese grated
• 100g cubed pancetta (basically bacon!)

• 

  Ready to bake

• 

  The bake, baked!

Method

1. Rinse the potato slices in cold water to remove excess starch
2. Boil the potato slices in lots of water for about 7 minuets. Leave a little bite in the potatoes so they keep their shape.
3. Pop the sliced leeks in a bowl and sprinkle with the cajun seasoning crushed garlic and mix well.
4. Mix the cheese powder into the milk and add the dried parsley
5. Heat the oil and once it's hot, stir in the flour to make a roux (paste).
6. Gently whisk the milk and cheese powder into the four and oil until they are combined. If using grated cheese, make the white sauce with milk alone and then add the grated cheese.
7. Heat the milk until it is simmering and mix well while it thickens.
8. I made my cheese sauce in a Le Cruset baking dish, but you could make in a pan and pour it into the baking dish afterwards.
9. Add the leek mixture and sliced potatoes in layers, pressing down to ensure even covering with the cheese sauce.
10. Top with the pancetta cubes and a little grated cheese.
11. Bake for 1 hour, covered for the first 30 minutes, remove the cover for the final 30 minutes so the pancetta crisps.

Variations

Just omit the bacon for a vegetarian option.

Chef's notes

If you don't have cheese powder, just use 100g of grated cheddar cheese. If you don't have taste sensation cajun seasoning, half a teaspoon of chilli powder and a pinch of black pepper would add a little bite if you don't have the cajun seasoning.

Browse Cookipedia's recipes with Pinterest

Almost all of Cookipedia's recipe pictures have now been uploaded to Pinterest which is a very convenient way to browse through them, all in one huge board, or by individual categories. If you're a Pinterest user you'll find this feature useful.

#grated #cheesepowder #pancetta #potatoes #bacon #cheddarcheese #potato #cheesesauce #parsley #leeks #cajunseasoning
https://www.cookipedia.co.uk/recipes_wiki/Leek,_potato,_cheese_and_bacon_bake