Leek and Salsify Gratin Recipe - Great British Chefs

This leek and salsify gratin recipe is perfect for when you want something warm and comforting on a cold night. The cheesy sauce and silky leeks are perfect partners for the beautiful flavour of salsify – a seriously underrated winter vegetable. Make this dish vegetarian by omitting the Worcestershire sauce and swapping the Parmesan for an alternative hard cheese.

Salsify
600g of salsify root
1 lemon, juiced into a bowl of water
450ml of milk
1 bay leaf
Leeks
500g of leek, washed and sliced into 1cm rings
30g of butter
olive oil
3 garlic cloves, sliced
Sauce
60g of butter
60g of flour
1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce, (optional – omit to make vegetarian)
1 tsp Dijon mustard
Tabasco, to taste
150g of mature cheddar, grated
salt
freshly ground black pepper
Crumb topping
30g of Parmesan, (swap for vegetarian hard cheese if preferred)
30g of Panko breadcrumbs
freshly ground black pepper

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Wash the salsify, scrubbing off any soil, then peel and trim the ends of each baton. Immediately place the peeled salsify into the bowl of lemon water to stop it from going brown

Bring the milk to the boil in a pan with a bay leaf and add the salsify batons. Simmer for 6–8 minutes until cooked al dente, then drain and set aside (reserve the milk for later)

Heat a splash of olive oil in a pan with the butter and sauté the leeks and sliced garlic until soft but not coloured

In a separate pan, make the cheese sauce. Melt the butter then stir in the flour. Cook until golden and slightly foaming, then slowly whisk in the warm milk reserved from poaching the salsify, continuously whisking to prevent lumps