braised leeks à la goin

if you know me, you know i'm a huge Suzanne Goin fan. actually, if you follow this blog, you know this as well. i've raved about her and her food before here and here. oh! and here too! not only do i enjoy dining at her LA restaurants, i enjoy making recipes from her cookbook as well.

i recently dined at her newest restaurant, Tavern in Brentwood. and in typical Goin fashion (french-mediterranean fare made with fresh and local california ingredients), the food was scrumptious. one dish i loved in particular was her Devil's Chicken. dijon mustard seasoned chicken thighs covered in breadcrumbs served on top of the most tasty and savory braised leeks ever. it was a party of flavors in my mouth! and with the recipe in her book, i was every excited to make it at home.

the recipe for the Devil's Chicken is actually 2 parts. the leeks and then the chicken. this post is for just the braised leeks (the chicken part will be coming soon!). the leeks prepared this way make a great accompaniment to the chicken but would also make for an outstanding side dish to any meal. i think it would go along well with fish or red meat or even just alone w/ a nice crusty baguette. i can't rave about this dish enough. you must try it for yourself!

mise en place

braised leeks
from Sunday Suppers at Lucques by Suzanne Goin
serves 6

6 large leeks
extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup sliced shallots
1 tablespoon thyme leaves
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 1/2 - 2 cups chicken or vegetable stock or water
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

leeks are part of the onion family. they have a mild onion taste with a hint of garlicky flavor. onion AND garlic?! what's not to love?

i find the best place to buy leeks is at my local farmer's market. you can of course, find them at any supermarket as well. leeks need a really good cleaning. with all the layers they have, a lot of dirt gets tucked inside.

to prepare your leeks, trim off the roots, leaving the root end intact. trim the tops, leaving 2 inches of the light green part. the dark green part is not edible. cut the leeks in half lengthwise.


submerge the leeks in a large bowl of cold water to clean them. shake them to dislodge any dirt tucked inside. continue doing this until they are all clean. then place the leeks, cut side down, on a towel and pat dry completely.

turn the leeks over so the cut side is facing up and season w/ 2 teaspoons of salt and a few grindings of black pepper.

heat a large saute pan over medium-high heat for 2 mins. pour in about 1/4 cup olive oil (enough to well coat the bottom of the pan), wait 1 minute. place the leeks in the pan cut side down. sear them 4-5 mins, until they are golden brown. turn them over and cook another 3-4 mins. then transfer them to a large gratin dish. you will have to do this in batches. be careful not to overcrowd the leeks in your pan and continue to add more oil as needed.


once you're done searing all the leeks, add some more oil to the pan (if there isn't any left). add the shallots, thyme, 1/4 teaspoon salt and a pinch of pepper. cook about 5 minutes, until the shallots are just beginning to color.


add the white wine and reduce by half. add 1 1/2 cups stock and bring to a boil over high heat.

note: i find taking the little thyme leaves off the stems quite tedious and honestly, just annoying. so i just throw in the whole springs. once the stock comes to a boil, most of the leaves have come off and i just fish out the stems and discard. voila!

pour the liquid w/ the shallots over the leeks in the gratin/baking dish. the stock should not quite cover them. add more stock in necessary.


braise in the oven for 30 minutes, until the leeks are tender when pierced.

potato & leek soup

last week i shopped the Santa Monica Farmer's Market. it's a great market. known as the market "where all the chefs shop", it boasts some of the most amazingly fresh produce you'll find in LA. if you live in LA and haven't been yet, i urge you to check it out!

i came across a booth selling an assortment of root vegetables. the farmer had everything from jerusalem artichokes, fingerling potatoes, to a wide variety of carrots and baby carrots. when i saw the pile labeled "french fingerling potatoes", i had to buy some. they looked so creamy just as is, i knew they'd make for a fabulous soup. i've been wanting to try making potato & leek soup so i picked up some leeks as well and my menu was set.


fingerling potato & leek soup
serves 4 (generously) - 6
2 large leeks
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon fleur de sel
1/4 teaspoon freshly cracked pepper
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb. fingerling potatoes, peeled and diced
1 cup white wine
4 cups low sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup cream

*reserve some of the leeks to use as garnish. see instructions below.

you only want to use the white and pale green parts of the leeks. cut off any dark green part and discard. leeks have a lot of layers which hold a lot of dirt so it's really important to clean your leeks well. to do so, split the leeks length wise and rinse under water. then dice them and put in a large bowl with water. rinse and strain. repeat a couple times until leeks are clean and free of all dirt.

in a large pot or dutch oven, heat the olive oil and butter. when the butter melts and starts to foam, add the leeks, salt and pepper. cook until tender but not brown, about 8-10 mins.

add the garlic and diced potatoes and mix in well with the leeks. add the wine, bring to a boil and simmer for approx 3 mins. the wine will mostly absorb into the vegetables. add the chicken stock, bring to a boil and then lower the heat and simmer for 30 mins or until the potatoes become extremely soft. add the cream and simmer for a couple more minutes.

blend 4 ladle fulls of the soup in a blender and return back to the pot. i wanted a chunky soup so i only blended 4 ladle fulls. if you want a smooth, pureed soup, you can of course blend all of it.

for garnish, julienne the leeks, approx. 2-3" in length. heat a small skillet with enough oil to coat the bottom. once the oil is hot, add the leeks and fry until lightly golden brown. make sure to keep an eye on them as they will brown quickly.

remove with a slotted spoon and drain on a paper towel.

serve the soup with freshly ground black pepper and the fried leeks!

bon appétit~!