leek and sweet potato au gratin

another recipe from here.

some crazy(er) part of me feels like moving towards eliminating animal products from my diet.  another less crazy part of me is too afraid to learn how to eat another way.  i'm not going to lie, i like me some meat and dairy every now and then!

still though, i've been taking baby steps because i think baby steps are the best kind of steps to take when you're trying to learn something new or change.

so here is my take on leek and sweet potato au gratin served up steaming with a nice cut of grilled sirloin (baby steps).

now, this was my first time eating leeks.  one thing i learned is that although they look like green onions, they are not like green onions.  the recipe calls for "three medium leeks" and i only bought one thinking they were in bunches just like green onions.  wrong.  the result was not enough leeks so i halved the recipe which wasn't a big deal.  there's was another casserole dish of homemade mac n' cheese bubbling in the oven for the chillin's and husband.

in the end, i was pleased with this dish and think that anyone who likes sweet potatoes would really like it.   the only thing i would change is again, too much oil.  this is the fourth recipe i've followed from this site and every single one had too much oil, imo.  we also had the lentil soup (which was great less the lentils, lol) and, the orzo salad which would have been great less the olive oil.  i threw away the whole bowl, too much oil.

leek and sweet potato au gratin


1.5 tbsp olive oil (i will use 1 tbsp max next time)
6 cups chopped leeks, approx 3 medium leeks (white & light green parts only)
3 cloves of garlic, minced
3 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary (i used 2 tbsp of rosemary from my pantry, not fresh)
2 lbs sweet potatoes peeled and sliced 1/8" thick
1/3 cup low sodium vegetable broth
3 tbsp seasoned dry bread crumbs (i only had unseasoned so i mixed in some onion powder, garlic powder and pepper)

1. preheat oven to 450 degrees.  coat 10" round pan with cooking spray.

2. heat 1 tbsp oil in nonstick skillet over medium high heat.  add leeks, garlic and  1 1/2 tbsp of rosemary; saute 8 minutes or until softened.  season with salt and pepper.

3.  arrange 1/3 of sweet potato slices over bottom of prepared pan, overlapping slightly.  spread 1/2 of leek mixture on tip.  arrange the other 1/3 of sweet potato slices over leeks; tops with remaining leeks, followed by remaining sweet potatoes.  drizzle broth over dish.  cover pan with foil and bake 35 minutes.

4. stir together breadcrumbs and a tiny bit of oil with remaining rosemary in small bowl. remove foil from gratin and sprinkle with breadcrumb mixture.  bake, uncovered, 15 minutes or until breadcrumbs are brown and crisp.

serves 8

Nutrition Facts leek and sweet potato au gratin Serving Size: 1 serving Amount Per Serving Calories 97 Total Fat 2.7g       Saturated Fat 0.4g       Trans Fat 0g Cholesterol 0mg Sodium 54mg Carbohydrate 18.1g       Dietary Fiber 2.2g       Sugars 4g Protein 1.4g Vitamin A 176% Vitamin C 18% Calcium    3% Iron 5%