Freaky Deaky Leeks...

How many of you know what a leek is?  As in, you could go to the grocery store and walk right to it, knowing with utmost confidence you didn't pick the wrong item?

Yeah, I couldn't either until about three weeks ago.

But it's OK!  Not only can I go pick them out of the crowd of other random produce, but I have cooked with them twice AND ................ like them!  Add another into the "win" column. 

Never would I have considered buying a leek until all of the recipes I tore out of the magazine named for one, Ms. Martha Stewart, included them.  Of course they do.  Leek and "foil lined parchment."  Whatevs, Martha.  I don't have time for that nonsense.  But there was this recipe that looked DIVINE in the magazine picture..... so off to the grocery to find a leek.

I think you'll be proud to know that I didn't need to ask for help.  Although I totally would have.  I go to the grocery Mark manages so I'd have called his sorry butt over if necessary and HE could have hunted for it.  What?  That's what the little old ladies do!  Somewhere in the depths of my Food Network obsessed brain there was an image of a leek. Sort of greenish I thought.  So I headed to that big wall of leafy geen things.  You know, the one that is also located under the leafy green sprinkler system that seems to be perfectly timed to soak you just as you reach in?  The possibility of drenching aside, I started digging through the display. 

AHA!  Leeks.

I'll spare you having to ask - here's what a leek looks like:

I know!  Right?  It looks just like a friggin' giant green onion!  If someone *cough* MARTHA *cough* would have just said that, the process would have been a lot easier.  Some notes on using leeks ('cause I'm an expert on them now apparently!):

1.  An average leek is like 12" long.  You can't tell that from the picture.  But they're big.  You only use a tiny part of the plant.  Even though they sell you all the giant extra parts.  Stupid.  But, you hack off the big green leaves from the top and the root - keeping only the pale green and white parts to use.

2.  It will be STINKY as you start cutting into it.  It's a friggin' giant green onion remember.  And it smells sharp, just like you'd imagine a friggin' giant green onion would.  (If you were so inclide to imagine something like that.)  Don't worry.  It totally mellows out and that smell doesn't show up as a taste.

3.  You have to wash it AFTER it's all cut up.  Why?  Sand.  LOTS of sand.  All in between the layers.  And if you just rinse off the outsides, all that groady grit will still be in there and as a result, in your recipe.  Not good.  So, chop it all up and then rinse, rinse, rinse.

Want a recipe?  I knew you would!  Get your fancy-pants on because it's all Martha-y.

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Potato and Sweet Potato Tian

Ingredients

1 lb Yukon Gold Potatoes, thinly sliced

12 oz sweet potatoes, thinly sliced
1 green apple cored and grated
3 leeks, white and pale green only, sliced ⅛ inch thick
1Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 tsp coarse salt
pepper to taste
2 oz grated Gruyère

Preparation
Preheat oven to 350F. Toss together potatoes, apple, leeks, oil, and 1 tsp coarse salt. Season with pepper. Transfer to a 9 X 12 oval baking dish and cover with parchment-lined foil. Bake for 15 min. Raise oven temperature to 400F. Remove, uncover, and top with Gruyère. Bake until bubbling and top is browned, about 30 min.

Makes 8 servings.  3 points/serving
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Notes from Julie:

1. Yeah.  I don't know what "tian" is either.  It's OK, we'll work through it together.  It's like super fancy-pants potatoes au gratin.
2. While there is a sign at the grocery indicating they sell both yams and sweet potatoes, I have no idea which is which.  Just grab one.  They'd cook up about the same for this I think.
3. Gruyère cheese.  O.M.G.  DELISH!!!  I had never tried it before.  At least not that I knew about.  I found it in the grocery store deli section - you know where all those fancy cheese are that you've also never tried?  And it's EXPENSIVE.  So be ready for that.  My 4 oz piece was $10.  Craziness for cheese.  BUT.  So worth it.  It's like a nuttier version of fresh parmesan cheese.  Also, a little goes a long way.  I'm a cheese-aholic.  I blame my geographical proximity to the state of Wisconsin.  And when I put that 2 oz on there I was skeptical.  It's enough.  Trust me.
4. You know what to do with the leeks.  Cut thin and rinse, rinse, rinse.  They'll look like little curly locks of hair.
5. Martha's Oval baking dish = Julie's 9"x13" Corningware dish
6. Martha's foil lined parchment = Julie's tin foil
7. The apple may throw you off.  Don't let it.  It totally works.  The first time I made it, I didn't read for comprehension and cut it into thin slices like the potatoes instead of Martha's way.  The second time, I went with Martha's way.  I kind of preferred it my way.  But don't broadcast that - Martha's an ex-con.  She may find me and shiv me.  I liked the random bite of sour.  Player's choice.

I think that's it.  I personally could eat this every day.  Very rich flavors.  And even Mark, "Mr. I don't like sweet potatoes", liked it.  High praise indeed.