Every time I travel I miss my kitchen. I’m at the greatest markets in the world and all I really want to do is pack the beautiful vegetables into my shopping basket and disappear into the kitchen. Unfortunately, the reality is that if there is a kitchen when traveling, it is not as equipped as mine. It usually starts with the knives. I should only ever travel with a sharpening steel because nothing puts me in a bad mood more than an unsharp knife. And of course there’s no need to just turn around and you’ll be standing in front of a lavishly equipped spice rack. At home I can make the most of it. When I’m out and about, I’m lucky if there’s any ground pepper at all – mind you, not ground by me, but ground in a jar. So I just enjoy the view at the market and maybe buy a pesto made from Meyer lemons, like the one I had at the market a week ago Hollywood Farmers Market have done. However, one thing became clear to me here: we have a wonderful selection here potatoes. I have no idea why everyone in the USA only mentions Yukon Gold or Russett potatoes in their recipes, but there is actually almost nothing else on the market. Only when it comes to sweet potatoes is the selection a little more extensive. It makes me happy when I discover the most beautiful Meyer lemons everywhere, but at home I have a potato stand at the market that they can only dream of.
Potatoes were actually what I was most looking forward to when I got back. And because it’s currently on the market Wild garlic I really wanted to make a potato gratin with wild garlic. While it’s cooking in the oven, the whole apartment smells of wild garlic. I’m often asked if I can make something simple with just a few ingredients. Can I – please!
ultimately crispy
At the Hollywood Farmers Market: how about a goose egg for $30?
“Rainbow” carrots everywhere
Potato and leek gratin with wild garlic
For two
2 thinner leeks, sliced
400 g waxy potatoes, peeled and sliced into 1mm thick slices
a bunch of wild garlic, the leaves roughly chopped
3 tbsp olive oil
½ cup of cream
1 teaspoon dried thyme
Sea salt
pepper
70 g grated Parmesan
60g grated cheese
Pepper from the mill
Preheat the oven to 200°C top and bottom heat.
Place the sliced leeks in a bowl along with the potatoes. Put the wild garlic in the blender with the olive oil and a pinch of salt and puree it into a paste. If there is not enough liquid to make a paste, add a little more cream.
Mix the paste with the leek and potato slices and place in an ovenproof dish.
Mix in the grated Parmesan. Season with pepper and salt again.
Sprinkle with the grated cheese.
Bake in the oven for 50 minutes until golden brown.
