Dutch people love easy cooking. They love it so much that they buy lots of shortcuts in the supermarket to prepare a fast meal. You can buy all sorts of things, for example: jars with ready made sauce for pasta, but also for curry/oriental dishes, potato/pasta bakes and stews. There are boxes that contain a powdered marinade, a powdered sauce mix and a starch (for example ‘chicken madras’ with rice) to which you only need to add fresh products (in the case of the chicken madras, you add chicken, a red paprika and some creme fraiche). Often these are foreign dishes, but they don’t resemble the original dish very much. There are all kinds of small sachets and cups for oriental style sauces, often they need something like a splash of coconut milk. But the biggest category of them all is powdered mixes, you have them for virtually anything: many kinds of soups (chicken, but also tomato, pea, asparagus, goulash, etc), pasta sauces, sauces for oven bakes, etc; only water is added to create a sauce.
Personally I am not a big fan of these shortcuts, because they are often quite bland, very salty and they contain lots of artificial ingredients. But I do like some of the dishes you can make with the packages, so I adapted the recipe to make it (almost) completely from scratch. This recipe is inspired on two different shortcuts. The first is a sauce from a jar, available in different flavours (cream-chives, bacon-onion, ham-cheese, garden herbs-garlic), which you pour over sliced (partly cooked) potatoes and bake in the oven. This creates a gratin-like dish. The other are powdered mixes for sauces, again in different flavours (for example minced meat with leek and curry sauce, or minced meat with cauliflower and cream sauce) to pour over meat and/or vegetables with a layer of sliced (partly cooked) potatoes on top and again bake in the oven. I combined the flavours of the jarred sauce into a cheese-ham-herb sauce, and used the combination of minced meat and leeks as a bottom layer, to create a lovely homemade potato and leek bake with cheese-ham-herb sauce. The only thing I do not cook from scratch are the potatoes, it spares a lot of time to use precooked potato slices and their quality is quite good. This dish is a real, comforty family meal. It is easy to prepare (also in larger quantities) and it uses ingredients that most people like. And it is hearty enough to sustain us during the gray, not to warm and rainy weather that reigns here in the Netherlands most of the time.
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Potato and Leek Bake
- Total Time: 70 minutes
- Yield: Serves 6
- Diet: Omnivore
Description
Hearty potato and leek bake topped with a creamy cheese and ham sauce. Comfort food at its finest!
Ingredients
- 1 lbs (454 g) mince
- 1 onion
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 big leek
- 1 lbs (454 g) potatoes
- olive oil
- pepper
- 1 stock cube
- 1/4 tsp mace
- 1/4 tsp dried marjoram
- 1/2 tsp worcestershire sauce
- 2 oz (57 g) butter
- 2 oz (57 g) flour
- 1 1/2 cups (355 ml) milk
- 1 tsp mustard
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 7 oz (200 g) cheese
- 2 tbsp herbs
- 4 oz (113 g) cooked ham
Instructions
- Heat a large frying pan with some olive oil and brown the meat.
- Add the onion and garlic to the pan and fry until soft.
- Meanwhile, in a separate pan, add the pepper, stock cube, mace, marjoram, and Worcestershire sauce.
- Add the leek and fry until soft.
- Pour the meat mixture into a large, ovenproof dish.
- Layer the potatoes on top, spreading them out thinly.
- Preheat the oven to 356°F (180°C).
For the cheese sauce
- Place a pan over low to medium heat and add the butter.
- Once the butter is melted, stir in the flour and cook, stirring, for two minutes.
- Gradually add the milk, stirring constantly, until you have a smooth sauce.
- Add the mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and cheese, then whisk until smooth.
- Add the herbs and ham, stirring until evenly distributed.
- Pour the cheese sauce on top of the potatoes and spread it out.
- Bake until the potatoes are soft and the sauce is golden brown on top.
Notes
- For a richer flavor, use bone-in ham instead of cooked ham.
- To prevent the potatoes from becoming soggy, ensure they are thinly sliced and partially pre-cooked before layering.
- Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days and reheated in the microwave or oven.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Roasting
- Cuisine: British
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1.5 cups
- Calories: 450
- Sugar: 5
- Sodium: 700
- Fat: 25
- Saturated Fat: 15
- Unsaturated Fat: 8
- Carbohydrates: 50
- Fiber: 5
- Protein: 25
- Cholesterol: 80
Frequently Asked Questions
What type of potatoes work best for a Dutch potato and leek bake?
Waxy potatoes like Yukon Gold hold their shape well during baking and give you creamy, tender slices. Avoid russet potatoes here, as they tend to break down and get mealy. 
How do I clean leeks properly for this dish?
Slice the leeks first, then soak them in a bowl of cold water for a few minutes. Dirt and sand settle to the bottom. Lift the leeks out and pat them dry before adding them to the bake.
Can I assemble this bake the night before?
You can layer everything in the baking dish, cover it tightly, and refrigerate overnight. Add about 10 to 15 extra minutes of baking time since it will be going into the oven cold.
Delicious! Or as we say in Holland : Heerlijk!
Good recipe, I suggest making a lot of sauce to be sure it sticks together when served.