Soups & Starters
Vegetarian & Vegan
Leek and Potato Bake
This makes a lovely vegetarian lunch (serve it with a simple side salad dressed with olive oil and balsamic vinegar), or a delicious vegetable side dish - that’s how I’m using it tomorrow night, when I make it as part of a meal I’m cooking for a friend’s birthday. Happy Birthday, Marilyn!
Ingredients
- 8 medium-sized potatoes
- 3 sweet potatoes
- 3 leeks
- a little olive oil (for frying)
- 1 crushed clove of garlic
- 3 eggs
- 4 tsp sun-dried tomato paste (I like the Sainsbury's one that comes in a little jar)
- some chopped parsley
- 4 chopped anchovies (optional - omit these for a vegetarian dish)
- some stilton or mature cheddar
Method
Slice the potatoes and sweet potatoes. Bring to the boil in salted water then simmer for 10 mins until just tender. Meanwhile, finely slice the leeks and fry gently in a little olive oil until tender, adding the crushed clove of garlic after the first few mins.
Drain the potatoes and leave to steam dry in the pan for a few mins. Meanwhile, beat the eggs with a fork then beat in the sun-dried tomato paste. Add some chopped parsley and the chopped anchovies (optional - omit these for a vegetarian dish).
Tip the potatoes into a medium-sized, ovenproof frying pan, press down with a spatula to flatten the potatoes slightly, then pour over the egg mixture and press down again. Fry over a medium heat for 10 mins, covered with a lid or a sheet of foil. Next, put the pan under the grill for about 5 mins until the egg mixture at the top is just setting, then spread the leeks over the top and crumble over some stilton or mature cheddar. Grill until browned and bubbling.
A Cook's Plot Tip
This is also lovely if you use pesto in place of the sun-dried tomato paste.