Butter Braised Leeks

It's a well-known fact in my circle of friends and family that I love having people over. "Don't you want to come out for dinner?" I say, somewhat desperately. "Kel,  you live 40 minutes away." "So?!? It'll be GOOD!" And so on and so forth. I'm probably successful about 35% of the time in convincing someone.  Which is a complete mystery, because I live near some of the most picturesque scenery you can imagine:

One of those happy times was probably one of the best meals I've ever made. I feel like the recipe should appear on an infomercial somewhere, with a tag line: "Amaze your friends! Wow your boss! Stun your family! And with only MINUTES of your time!"

I have to give credit where credit is due, and in this case, credit is due to my first-ever high school "boyfriend". You know, the one where you pass notes in between class, hang out at lunch, and perhaps call on the phone in the evening? As I say this last bit, I realize my parents are probably angrily searching boxes of old phone bills in the attic to prove just how often this "perhaps" actually occurred, but I digress.

Somehow this very same goofy kid I knew in high school went on to become a great chef - who knew? So, when I had ambitiously purchased 2 leeks (on a whim - they looked so good in the produce section!), I found myself at home, with a cutting board, 2 now-very-huge-looking leeks, a knife, and absolutely zero recipes in which to put them.

Never fear - Facebook is here! I sent a pleading status message to the masses for recipe ideas and was met with a random post by previously mentioned Great Chef: "Butter Braised Leeks are what God made leeks for..." Anything that starts with "butter" followed by the word "braised" has to be good. So - he mentioned, I googled, and I convinced Dad to be my guinea pig guest.

The first thing I saw splattered all over the internet upon searching for "leek recipes" was the need to rinse them VERY well. I didn't use a recipe so much as a few guidelines from several different sources, and then made it my own. I did take the advice of a few people who said cutting them into "coins" was the easiest way to get the sandy-ness out of them.

After cutting them, I stirred them around with my knife once or twice; I let them sit while I chased a few kids around (both mine, and NOT with the knife). Melted a tablespoon or 3 of butter, drained the leeks, tossed them in the pan, and let them sit for about 5 minutes. Cover with barely any water, and let sit 10-20 minutes depending on how long you forget about them. Salt and pepper to taste and OHHH they are so good.

Normally, there would be a picture of the final product, but they were so good and eaten so quickly that... I forgot. So, I made them a second time; and again, they were gone in seconds. So, third time (hopefully?) will be the charm, and the next time I make them, I will update a final photo.

*A WORD OF CAUTION: Too much salt will completely destroy this dish. Yes, I speak from experience. This dish may also turn even the biggest onion-hater (such as myself) into something of a fan.



Butter Braised Leeks
(adapted loosely from the instructions of friends)

2 leeks, white and light green parts only, dark green leaves discarded
4 Tbsp unsalted butter, cut into pieces
Water
Kosher salt (less than 1 tsp)
Fresh ground black pepper (less than 1/2 tsp)

Trim the dark green part of the leeks and discard or compost. Slice the remainder of the leeks on the diagonal into thin "coins". Place into a bowl of cold water, stir, and let sit to rinse the sediment from the leeks. (I cannot stress the importance of this step enough - this recipe will be a complete letdown if you bite into a mouthful of sand.) Let sit for 10-20 minutes. Drain, rinse under running water, and set aside.

Divide butter in half and reserve half. Place first half of butter into a saute pan (or similar) and melt but do not brown. Once melted, add the leeks and gently arrange into a single layer (if using a small pan or a larger number of leeks, you may have to do this in batches - they may not cook right if you put too many in at one time). Cook leeks in butter until just fragrant, about 2-3 minutes. Add just enough water to barely reach the top of the leeks (do not cover with water!), cover the pan, and let simmer for 10-20 minutes, until tender and translucent.

Remove cover and add remaining butter. Sprinkle sparingly with salt and pepper (you do not want to overpower the taste of the leeks, and too much salt will ruin this dish). Simmer with the lid off for 2-5 minutes more, or until the sauce is reduced/thickened.

Serve as a side dish, or as we did - on top of toasted homemade bread and a fabulous glass of white wine.