One of my very favorite vegetables to use is leeks!  I loved the idea of pairing leeks in my scalloped potatoes.

It gives them such a nice flavor, and it goes amazing with the nice gooey gruyère cheese. This potato and leek gratin goes nicely with ham, or any kind of roast.  It’s a great addition to a nice Sunday dinner.

I thought it would be fun to bake the potatoes in individual ramekins.  There is something fun about having your own individual serving.  But, a regular baking dish is fine as well. {Potato + Leek Gratin}

serves 6  to 8

2 1/2 pounds potatoes [about six], peeled and thinly sliced
1 leek, trimmed, thinly sliced, and rinsed well (about 1 cup) 2 tbs unsalted butter, plus more for baking dish 2 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 cup whole milk
1/4 cup flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp chicken bouillon powder or paste
1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper
3/4 cup gruyère cheese shredded, and about 1 cup more for the top of the potatoes.
pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

slice potatoes very thin [about 1/8 of an inch] and place in a large bowl.

in a medium skillet, heat 2 tbs butter and saute the leeks over medium until soft, about 4 minutes.  set aside.

in a medium saucepan, whisk together milk, cream, and flour.  heat over medium heat and whisk until just about to boil and the sauce slightly thickens. about 2-5 minutes. remove from heat and stir in 1 cup of the gruyère cheese, salt, pepper, bouillon, and nutmeg.  stir well.

add sauce mixture to the potatoes just until all of the potatoes are coated well [there may be some sauce left over].  then add sautéed leeks, and stir well. butter a 9×13 inch baking dish and transfer the potatoes to the dish.  push all the potatoes down making sure they are well coated with the sauce mixture.  top all of the potatoes with a layer of gruyère cheese. cover with parchment paper, then foil and bake on a parchment lined cookie sheet [in case it drips] at 375 for 45 minutes. remove the cover, and bake at 425 for another 30 minutes until the top is golden brown and the potatoes are cooked through and fork tender. let rest about 15 minutes before serving.

enjoy!