I have a friend who is obsessed with potatoes. I mean sure, I love potatoes but MB is on the brink of pathological obsession. And when I started this blog I promised I would post about some potato recipes in honour of that obsession - so here is yet another potato-based recipe for you, MB.
Potatoes are fantastic on their own - but combine them with cheese and cream and you've got a whole different story. I love potato gratin for the crunchy cheese layer on top and the creamy (and still cheesy!) layers hidden underneath. It gave me great satisfaction to pull this out of the oven to reveal a golden layer of cheese and potato... and suddenly all the pain from grating cheese and slicing potatoes with a knife disappeared.
I've tried a couple of different gratin recipes and this is the one that has been most consistently successful with just the right amount of cream and milk to be absorbed by the potatoes in the cooking process. This means that you don't get a puddle of liquid left at the bottom after you take the layers of potatoes out and instead you have nice creamy sauce to go with the potatoes. Delish!
In winter, my idea of a perfect lunch would probably be a bowl of steaming hot noodles or a bowl of warm, creamy soup. Potato and Leek soup is definitely up there on the list as one of my (and Sir D's) favourite soups - full of creamy carb-y goodness =)
The recipe is my mum's recipe which I've grown up with, and I believe there is some inextricable link between a mother's cooking and comfort food. The thick, creamy soup never fails to warm and comfort me and always has me asking for seconds! If you're not keen on the cream content by all means decrease or omit the cream, but it's just not quite the same without it.
