The leek is a vegetable with important diuretic properties and low in calories, which also strengthens the immune system and has antibacterial properties. For all these reasons, it is very important to include it in our weekly diet.
We can make complete dishes with this food when we add some type of protein to the dish. In this case, we bring some delicious leeks au gratin with ham and cheese and we include bechamel sauce in the recipe so that you can enjoy a complete dish, easy to prepare and that everyone at home will surely like. However, you can always modify the extra ingredients to your liking. Keep reading and discover with us how to make leeks au gratin.
Ingredients to make leeks au gratin:
- 4 large leeks
- 1 dessert spoon of olive oil or butter
- 1 tablespoon of flour
- 300 milliliters of milk (1¼ cups)
- 1 pinch of nutmeg
- 8 slices of York ham
- 8 slices of cheese
- 1 tablespoon grated cheese
- 1 pinch of salt
How to make leeks au gratin:
- Cut the green part of the leeks and discard it. Wash the white part and cut it into two or three pieces, depending on how big the leeks are. Put plenty of water and a little salt in a large pot and, when it starts to boil, cook the leeks for 20 minutes. Drain them
- To make the bechamel, heat the olive oil or butter in a pan. When hot, add the tablespoon of flour and toast it. Stir until the flour turns a toasty color.
- Incorporate the milk little by little while beating with some manual rods to avoid possible lumps.
- Tip: a trick to avoid a lumpy bechamel is to remove it from the heat, beat with an electric mixer until all the flour lumps have dissolved and put it back on the heat until the bechamel thickens.
- Grate a pinch of nutmeg and add a little salt. Go turning the bechamel with a few rods until it thickens. Salt test and rectify if necessary. Remember that you don’t have to make leeks au gratin with bechamel if you don’t want to.
- Put a slice of York ham on each piece of leek. Again, this step is optional, and you can change it to another ingredient, like bacon, if you like.
- Place a slice of cheese on top. You can also put the cheese first and then the York ham.
- Lightly grease an ovenproof dish with oil. Distribute the leek pieces with the ham and cheese and put the bechamel sauce on top.
- Sprinkle a tablespoon of grated cheese on top. Then, put the tray in the oven and gratin the leeks by activating the grill for a few minutes, enough for the cheese to brown. You can also prepare the leeks and bechamel well in advance and store them in the fridge or freezer. When you want to serve them, you simply have to cook them in the oven at 180ºC.
- Serve the leeks au gratin right away, as they will be better warm.
