‘Main Character’ Kale and Leek gratin
This ‘leek & kale gratin' is giving main character energy. Rich, creamy, and bubbling with cheesy goodness, this side dish is so luxurious, it just might steal the show. Once you taste, it seems like you put wayyyy more effort into it than you actually did. Which is exactly what you want, right? Lets call it ‘get rich quick’ dish-one bite and you are feeling lavish.
INGREDIENTS
1/4 cup of neutral oil (I used avocado oil)
2 medium leeks white and greens thinly sliced, rinsed
2 small or 1 large bunches of Tuscan or curly kale. The thick stems removed and leaves torn or cut into bite-sized pieces
salt, ground black pepper & garlic powder (to taste)
Crushed chili flakes (to taste)
1/2 pint of heavy cream
1 cup of your cheese of choice , grated. Cheese options: parmesan, parmigiano reggiano, pecorino, cheddar, monetary jack or gruyere (I used 1 cup each of parmigiano reggiano, & monetary jack)
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 400°.
Heat neutral oil in your skillet (I recommend an oven safe skillet, so you can just transfer it to the oven) over medium–high heat. Add leeks and season with salt and pepper.
Cook, stirring occasionally until the leeks are bright green and tender (roughly 10–15 minutes).
Add kale and season with salt, ground pepper & garlic powder.
Blanche the kale in boiling water for 60 seconds OR stir into the skillet with the leeks and let wilt between additions, repeating until you’ve added all the kale and it’s nice and wilted, 5–8 minutes.
Add heavy cream. Let the cream bubble. Turn off the heat and stir in the cheese. If dish is not in an oven safe skillet, transfer everything to a baking dish.
Bake for about 15–20 minutes, until everything is bubbling.
Serve & Enjoy!