This is a guest post by Kylie from Kidgredients
There’s a lot to be said for a potato bake. It’s one of those comfort foods, that warms the soul and makes people want more. Potato bake is something I often serve at Christmas Dinner and other special occasions. Not just because it takes a bit of effort, but because they are quite rich and deserve a special occasion. Potato bake has been a part of family gatherings in my family for as long as I can remember. But you see, I’m a bit of a trendsetter in our family, so I like to change those traditional favourites!
The first thing you’ll probably notice about this potato bake is that it is standing up! I’ve been making “standing up” potato bakes for a while. I like the way the tops of the potatoes go crunchy and I love the fact that I don’t have to peel the potatoes. If you really want to peel them, you could, but the colour of the peels (especially if you get red potatoes) means that the dish looks even more interesting. Such a simple change of direction results in “oohs and aaahs”!
You won’t have leftovers of this potato bake, but if you do either eat them yourself in the kitchen once the guests have left…or you can freeze them. Freezing the leftovers in a sealed container means you can defrost it to have with another meal some other time- I save things like this for those “oh-my-they-want-to-eat-again? nights”. Or those nights when the kids eat separately because of other commitments.
If you’d prefer a vegetarian version of this dish, omit the bacon, it is still delicious but the flavours are more subtle you could add some nutritional yeast to add the saltiness that the bacon has if you remove it. And, if you’re looking for a healthier way to make it? Then switch to sweet potato.
Depending on the appetites at the table and the other items on offer this could easily serve 8-10 people.
Leeky Potato Bake
- Total Time: 1 hour 45 mins
Ingredients
- 1.25kg of potatoes, washed and thinly sliced
- 5 tablespoons chopped sage
- 300ml cream
- 2 rashers bacon, diced
- 2 leeks, thinly sliced
- 1 tbsp butter
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200 degrees.
- Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the thinly sliced leeks and cook until softened (about 6 minutes). Allow to cool.
- Combine the bacon, chopped sage and cooked leek in a large bowl.
- Using your hands, mix the potato slices through it, ensuring they are all coated.
- In your baking dish, start stacking the potato slices ensuring they have bits of the bacon leek and sage mixture between them.
- Stack them tightly, because otherwise they will shrink when cooked and there will be gaps. Sprinkle any remaining mix on top.
- Cover the dish with foil and bake for 40 minutes at 200 degrees.
- Pour the cream evenly over the top.
- Remove the foil and bake for 25 more minutes. Test the potatoes with a fork, they should be cooked through, but if they were thicker than 3mm they may not be, so cook for 5-10 minutes more, checking again with a fork.
- Clean up the dish (it will bubble up at the sides) and serve!
Notes
Use a mandolin and sliced them to 3mm, but you could use a knife and some skills or even your food processor, if you end up with potato slices thicker than these then you will need to add 5-10 minutes to the cooking time.
- Prep Time: 30 mins
- Cook Time: 1 hour 15 mins
About Kylie
Kylie is a mum and kids food blogger, her blog is Kidgredients. She enjoys encouraging her family and readers to eat healthier food through the use of whole foods and homemade alternatives to processed and takeout foods. She loves packing fun lunches and cooking with her two kids.
You can find her at: blog | facebook | instagram | pinterest | twitter
