Potato and Leek Gratin

Potato and Leek Gratin

When Tradition meets Nutrition it’s called “Tratrition”.  I made that up, but it describes this classic dish we’ve all come to love and adore.  Traditionally a gratin is made with cream and lots of butter and cheese, ingredients we love but are not the healthiest for us.  With a little tweaking we can fit in the nutrition while maintaining the flavors and textures we expect.

The potatoes and leeks are cut in even slices, made much easier with a mandoline slicer.  Let’s just say, I love my mandoline slicer.  I have the Oxo brand, so not necessarily high end, but it’s doing the job every time.  Slicing apples for my Superb Apple Pie or zucchini for  Zucchini Lasagna is a cinch with a mandoline.

Instead of burying the potatoes and leeks in cream, a drizzle of fat free half and half is added to every layer of the gratin; the potatoes get wonderfully crisp and tender, and the cheeses form a melty, golden crust.  This rustic and rich potato side with its contrasting flavors and textures matches well with the Herb Roasted Pork Loin, the Berries and Nuts Spinach Salad and the Avocado Bacon Deviled Eggs if you’re serving an Easter feast.

Enjoy potatoes for their nutritional benefits.  They’re super high in fiber, potassium, vitamin C, B6 and iron.  Folks often bypass the potato because of its high carbohydrate content, but we need some carbs to sustain energy needs.  I’d rather get my carbs from a high nutrient dense source like the potato than from useless white flour carbs found in crackers or chips or doughnuts.

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