Recipe SWAP~ Potatoes!

Have I said just how much I LOVE the recipe swaps Sarah from ATaste of Home Cooking hosts? They are so fun & help me with my creativity. This time around Potatoes was the theme. I LOVE potatoes. My hubby? not as much a fan as I but he still enjoys them. I gave my Rosemary-Lemon Smashed New Potatoes & received Christen's, from "Cooking with Christen", Corn, Leek & Potato Chowder. YUMMMM!!!!

But... the hubby doesn't like corn chowder, or any thick soup for that matter. I was ready to make the soup for myself, then got worried I wouldn't have time to eat the leftovers. So, I thought, how can I use ALL of the ingredients in a way that stays true to Christen's initial intent? At first, I thought corn-cakes but then inspiration hit me in the form of a side for hub's steak! And this was born:

Baked Corn, Leeks & Cheesy Potatoes

• 1 cup sliced leek
• 2 cups frozen hash brown potatoes
• 8 oz. can of “no salt added" corn
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup fat-free milk
• 1 cup reduced-fat ricotta
• 1 cup pre-shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Heat a large saucepan coated with cooking spray.  Over medium heat, cook the leeks for about two minutes.  Add the potatoes, corn, salt & pepper and cook another three minutes, stirring occasionally. 

Remove from heat & mix in the milk, ricotta & cheddar cheese. Pour into a baking dish. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the top is browned. Serve.

Thank you so much to Sarah for hosting again! And Christen, thank you for a yummy recipe!!!! I will also be making the soup for ME... I LOVE chowder!
<3 Lishie

Leek & Potato Soup

I love leeks. And I love potatoes. You know where this love note is going... I especially LOVE  leek & potato soup! This Saveur Magazine recipe is so simple yet delicious. Warning, I drain the water so I get a really thick soup. I like it that way- you may want to thin it out. I add grated parmesan but the suggested fresh chives would also be good. This is a hearty & easy soup for a very rainy, wet Autumn working night! <3 Lishie

Leek & Potato Soup

from Saveur Magazine

• 3 russet potatoes, peeled and sliced or diced
• 5 leeks, trimmed, cleaned, then thinly sliced, including 
•    the tender green part
• Salt
• 4–6 tbsp. whipping cream

Put potatoes, leeks, salt to taste, and 8 cups of water in a large saucepan over medium heat & simmer, partially covered, until vegetables are tender, 40–50 minutes.

Mash vegetables in the soup with a fork, or pass the soup through a food mill. Correct seasoning with salt.

Off heat, just before serving, stir in the cream by spoonfuls. Pour soup into a tureen or soup bowls. 

*Here I added a little freshly grated parmesan cheese. YUM!

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.