Lots of potatoes? Make a Potato Leek Gratin

It's St. Patrick's Day this week which means potatoes galore... Normally we don't eat 'em as much. So I wanted to make a separate side dish using some of the extra potatoes & leeks I have on hand. A gratin seemed the perfect thing to me. With potatoes & cheese one can never go wrong, right? I adapted my recipe from this New York Times Dining Section Recipe "Potato Leek Gratin" & made a couple of changes.

And really, only a couple of changes: 

• I used 1 tsp of dried herbs de provence in place of the fresh thyme sprigs.
• I used 3/4 cup extra sharp white cheddar, grated, instead of the gruyere but EITHER would be so delish! 

Cheese-y, potato-y goodness

*Lishie facts-

1. Gratin is just a snazzy French word for a cooking technique where cheese is browned on top as a crust. 
2. Leeks are related to onions, garlic and scallions.

*Lishie tip- How to wash leeks? Rinse the entire leek, then cut it down into thin ringlets. Fill a glass bowl (I prefer glass so as to see the dirt) with warm water & submerge the cut leek slices. Swirl them around with your hand to allow the dirt to fall to the bottom of the bowl. Remove the leeks with a slotted spoon & rinse again using a colander.

Submerged ringlets.