I am still harvesting leeks, kale, broccoli, chard, and carrots from the garden so needless to say, many meals revolve around these veggies. Last night I needed comfort food, and for me that means garden produce and, if available, potatoes. We have a variety of potatoes we grew still in the refrigerator and these plus leeks and kale become the basis for a very yummy meal.

Ingredients:
Leeks – about 2 cups sliced
Potatoes – about 3 cups sliced
Herbs – about 2 Tablespoons chopped
1 1/2 cups heavy cream or 1 1/4 cups veggie broth and 1/4  cup olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat oven to 375 degrees.

Here’s where the meal started. With potatoes, leeks and fresh sage. I chopped the sage well and sliced the potatoes and leeks so that they were all about 1/4 inch thick. Then I greased a square baking pan.

Slice the potatoes and leeks and toss with the herbs. Place all in a greased square baking pan and add the cream or broth mix.

I admit it. I made this dish with heavy cream and I am not sorry. It was the definition of comfort food.

Cook in the oven for about 45 minutes until the top is just starting to brown and the potatoes and leeks are soft. Season with salt and pepper.

This leek and potato dish could also include carrots at this time of year…I just didn’t think of it until after I had it in the oven. Here are some other options for the leek and potato bake:

~ You can make the potato/leek dish using cream and it’s a quick, easy and sinfully delicious dish that is appropriate for a dinner party. You can also substitute veggie broth and olive oil instead of the cream and the recipe is vegan. Still yummy but not sinful.

~ I used chopped fresh sage but you can use any herb you have in the garden for the flavoring. Rosemary is very good, and parsley as well.

~ Artichoke hearts would be good in this, as would celeriac, parsnips and turnips.

The Kale Dish

This side dish is a room-temperature salad where the kale has been slightly cooked. So not too raw, not to crispy, but simply tasty and easy to make. If you are making this with the potato/leek dish above, you can roast the kale just as that dish is finishing

Ingredients
Tuscan Kale, sliced into ribbons. Use at least 2 cups of sliced kale per person.
The salad dressing of your choice.

Chop the kale into ribbons about 1/4 inch thick.

Place these on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet and place it in a hot oven for 5 minutes. Do not over-bake! The beauty of this dish is that it’s not totally cooked…it’s partially crunchy and partly just wilted.

Place the cooked ribbons into a bowl and toss with the salad dressing of your choice – I used 1 Tablespoon of dressing for every 2 cups of raw kale.

Place the shredded kale on the cookie sheet that is lined with parchment paper. No oil needed.

The key is to roast for only 5 or 6 minutes. Some of the ribbons will be crispy and others just wilted. Perfect!

Toss with the dressing of your choice but be sure not to use too much. You want the dressing to slightly moisten the kale, and to add flavor, but not to overwhelm it.

I served this kale and potato/leek with ribs. Comfort food for the post-election that I needed. Vegetarians and vegans could serve this with barbecued tofu. Equally yummy and comforting.