Leek Gratin with Crispy Ham

To clean the leeks, cut the leek in half lengthwise, then slice into little half-moon pieces. Add the leeks into a large bowl, cover with cold water and swish around with your hands. Let the leeks sit for 10 minutes so any grit can settle to the bottom, then carefully fish the leeks out of the water without disturbing the bottom of the bowl.

Preheat the broiler to high and heat a large oven-proof skillet to medium-high heat on the stove top. Add the ham and half of the butter into the skillet and cook for 5 minutes, flipping once, until crispy at the edges. Remove to a plate.

Add the leeks into the same skillet and cook for 5 minutes until slightly soft. Add the garlic and the remaining butter and sprinkle all over with the flour. Stir the leeks together with the flour—it will be a bit pasty. Add the wine and the half-and-half and stir everything together. Let the mixture reduce by about half so that there is just a bit of gravy around the leeks. Turn the heat off the stove and taste the leeks: add salt or pepper if you’d like. Cover the leeks with the sliced cheese and reserved crispy ham. Put it into the oven and broil for 3-5 minutes just until the cheese is bubbly.

Serve as a side dish or with crusty bread for dipping. Enjoy!

Note: I use a cast iron skillet for this, which can go in the oven. If you don’t have a skillet that can go in the oven just move the leek mixture into a baking dish, then add the cheese and ham on top of that and bake.