Creamy Leek & Potato Gratin

This is easy and quick because the potatoes are parboiled, so you don't have to spend an hour constantly checking the oven. It's based on a recipe posted on Bittman's blog, which I really recommend checking out. You can easily make this vegetarian by using veggie stock in place of chicken stock (or vegan by omitting the cream and using veggie stock instead of milk, but I wouldn't recommend it; in fact, I wouldn't recommend being vegan at all).

I made this alongside a roast chicken. We've pretty much perfected the roast chicken, though it was more the result of years of trying various "recipes" before finding the best one (which, as I should have known from the start, is Alice Waters'). But now I am posting this while eating the leftovers (which are actually what's in the photo above-- we forgot to photograph the fresh gratin) alongside Portugese sardines and an arugula salad. I forgot how good sardines and potatoes are together; perhaps I'll make something involving both soon. There are certainly plenty of both (and leeks, too) for very little money in Paris.

You'll need (serves 4-6):

2 enormous leeks, or 4 medium ones

3 medium yukon gold potatoes

1/4c heavy whipping cream

2c milk (lowfat's fine but nonfat's not)

1T chopped fresh thyme

1T butter

1c chicken stock

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Quarter leeks lengthwise and clean them well. Slice thinly. Melt butter in a large pan. Add leeks, salt and pepper. Cook over low heat for 15 minutes.

In the meantime, peel potatoes and slice thinly (not too thinly-- 1/4 inch at most-- you don't want them falling apart). Put in a small saucepan with milk just to cover. Add salt and dried herbs, if you want (we use French cooking salt that has herbs in it). Simmer gently until just tender. Milk has a tendency to boil over, so be careful.

When the leeks are tender, add chicken stock and raise heat. Boil until almost dry, then add cream and stir until slightly thickened, about 1 minute. Turn off heat and let sit 1 minute to thicken. Stir in chopped thyme.

Spread 1/2 leek mixture in a baking dish. Using a slotted spatula or spoon, remove potatoes from milk and spread onto leeks. Top with the rest of the leeks. This shouldn't look dry; if it does, add a little of the milk the potatoes cooked in.

Bake until top is golden brown. Let cool 10 minutes before serving.

Matza Pasta with Dandelion Green & Meat Ragout

Matza pasta was pretty much my favorite passover food as a child. I know it sounds weird, but don't knock it 'til you've tried it. Briefly cooked matza strips make a surprisingly good pasta alternative-- they even have a similar texture. My favorite way to have them is with butter, parmesan, and black pepper, but this ragout makes this more of a meal-- and can easily be served with regular pasta.

Dandelion greens have replaced kale and chard in the farmers markets and are a delicious cooking green (you don't even have to cook them-- they make a good salad too, especially with a warm vinaigrette). As an added bonus, they're remarkably healthy, with more iron & calcium than spinach and even antioxidant properties. They're slightly bitter so the sauce I made is kind of on the sweet side-- if you're using no greens, or a less bitter green (like kale), add some cayenne & cumin to the meat at the end of the browning step and skip the roasted garlic.

You'll need:

3-4 pieces of matza per person (this recipe makes enough sauce for 3-4 people)
1 lb ground beef, about 85% (I used Kobe, as it was on sale, but you can use sirloin or just chuck)
1 large leek, chopped
2 spring garlic, chopped
2T red pepper flakes
1 head roasted garlic (optional, adds sweetness)
2T tomato paste
1 large (28 oz) can peeled Roma tomatoes in sauce
3 handfuls dandelion greens, large stems removed
1T olive oil
1/4c red wine or other liquid

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet. Add the beef, salt and pepper. Break up the meat with a wooden spatula and saute until brown. Add leek, spring garlic and red pepper flakes. Saute about 5 more minutes until meat starts to stick to skillet. Add tomato paste and stir to combine; cook 1 more minute. Deglaze with wine (or any liquid), scraping the bottom of the pan. Add tomatoes in their juices and roasted garlic, if using. Stir to combine and lower heat to a simmer.

Boil salted water for the matza. Break matza into long thin strips-- you're going for something resembling pappardelle here. It's ok if they break in two. Put the dry strips on a plate while the water is boiling. When the water is ready, gently add the matza strips, leaving the crumbs behind on the plate (they'll turn the whole thing gooey-- that's why you don't just break the matza into the pot). The matza only needs about 1 minute to cook; taste it for doneness before removing and straining.


Top cooked matza with sauce and a sprinkling of cheese (I used pecorino, above). Serve immediately and mix well to coat matza. (You'll probably need a higher sauce:matza ratio than with pasta.)

Fennel, Leek and Sausage Pasta

This is pretty quick to put together once you've gotten everything chopped & sliced. The French mise en place is one of my favorite cooking concepts-- get everything ready in those cute little prep bowls (except I don't really have any, so I make piles or use mugs), and then you're not pounding garlic at the last minute while the oils overheats.

You'll need (serves 4-6):

1 1/2 lbs pasta-- we used orecchiette (ear-shaped) and campanelle (bellflower-shaped)
1 large (28oz) can peeled tomatoes & their juices
3T tomato paste
1c half & half
1 very large leek (or 2 smaller ones)
5 shallots (or 1 onion)
6 cloves garlic
2 large bulbs fennel (2 lbs)
1/2c sun dried tomatoes
5 uncooked sausage links (about 1.3 lbs)
1c grated parmesan, and more for serving
2T fresh marjoram, chopped, plus some for serving
1T cumin
1t red pepper flakes
2t dried oregano
1/2t cayenne
1t fennel seeds, toasted

Boil salted water for the pasta.

Clean your leeks by slicing them through the root, lengthwise, almost to the dark green top. Then turn and slice again, so the leek is split into quarters but held together at the top. Wash well and shake dry. Slice off root and discard; then slice thinly. Stop at the dry dark green tops.

Slice shallots or onions and fennel. You don't need to remove the fennel core-- just slice very thin.

Saute everything in 1T butter + 2T olive oil, salt & pepper, until brown and caramelized.

In the meantime, slice garlic & sun dried tomatoes. Add them to the pan when ready, with all the dried herbs & spices. Saute until fragrant (about 3 minutes), then push everything to the sides of the pan and add the tomato paste to the middle. Let brown a bit (2 minutes), then stir together.

Push to the sides again. Squeeze the sausage out of its casing into the middle of the pan (if you're using a low-fat sausage like turkey or chicken, add some oil first). Add marjoram and more cumin if you want. Saute, breaking up sausage, until brown. Stir together.

This would be a good time to put the pasta on.

Add tomatoes in their juices and break them up with the back of a wooden spoon. Stir to combine everything and cook until liquid evaporates, about 6 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Then add half-and-half (or cream!) and stir together; simmer until cream thickens and the whole thing starts looking like a sauce. Then add grated parmesan, stirring to combine.

Mix pasta with sauce; add a sprinkle of marjoram for color, and serve with more parmesan.