Confit Leeks With Lentils, Lemon and Cream
Published April 21, 2021
- Total Time
- 2 hours
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 5medium leeks (about 2½ pounds/1 kilogram), trimmed and washed, white and light greens cut into 2-centimeter-thick rounds (about 6 cups/620 grams)
- 10garlic cloves, peeled
- 10fresh thyme sprigs
- Kosher salt and black pepper
- ¾cup plus 2 tablespoons/200 milliliters extra-virgin olive oil
- ¾cup/150 grams dried French (Le Puy) lentils, washed
- ⅓cup plus 1 tablespoon/100 milliliters heavy cream (double cream)
- 2¼teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 5tablespoons/75 milliliters fresh lemon juice (from 2 medium lemons)
- 3tablespoons roughly chopped parsley leaves
- 3tablespoons roughly chopped fresh dill leaves
- 3tablespoons roughly chopped fresh tarragon leaves
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
1158 calories; 104 grams fat; 22 grams saturated fat; 1 gram trans fat; 67 grams monounsaturated fat; 10 grams polyunsaturated fat; 51 grams carbohydrates; 8 grams dietary fiber; 8 grams sugars; 14 grams protein; 1153 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Heat oven to 180 degrees Celsius/350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Step 2
If necessary, soak and carefully rinse the leek rounds in a large bowl of water to get rid of any excess grit. Drain, then cautiously pat dry, keeping the rounds intact.
- Step 3
Add the leeks, garlic, thyme, 1 teaspoon salt and a good grind of pepper to a 12-by-8-inch/30-by-20-centimeter baking dish. Mix gently to combine, then pour the oil on top. Arrange the leeks cut-side up, then cover tightly with foil and bake for 35 minutes.
- Step 4
Remove the baking dish from the oven and gently turn the leeks using two forks. Cover again with foil and return to the oven to bake until completely softened, about 35 minutes more. Turn the oven temperature up to 200 degrees Celsius/400 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Step 5
As the leeks bake, fill a medium saucepan about two-thirds of the way with water and bring to a boil over high. Add the lentils and cook until just tender but not at all mushy, 12 to 15 minutes. Drain well and set aside.
- Step 6
When ready, remove the confit leeks from the oven and transfer a heaping ½ cup/100 grams of the cooked leeks plus 5 of the garlic cloves to a bowl for the leek cream. Add the cooked lentils to the remaining leeks in the baking dish along with ¼ teaspoon salt and a good grind of pepper; mix gently to combine. Cover again with the foil and return to the oven for 15 minutes. Remove the foil and leave to settle for 10 minutes. Discard the thyme sprigs.
- Step 7
While the lentils bake with the leeks, make the cream: Add reserved leeks and garlic to a food processor along with the heavy cream, mustard, 1 tablespoon lemon juice and ⅛ teaspoon of salt; blitz until smooth.
- Step 8
When ready, stir the remaining 4 tablespoons lemon juice and the chopped herbs into the lentil and leek mixture. Transfer to a rimmed platter and serve with the leek cream in a bowl alongside.
Private Notes
Comments
I plan to sub a neutral coconut cream (solids from top portion of can of full fat coconut milk) for a dairy free version of this recipe. Mustard and alliums should temper any taste of coconut. Trader Joe’s coconut milk is too sweet (best for desserts). Try Natural Value Simple for a more neutral taste and no emulsifiers or preservatives. Before the purists rip me, not everyone can tolerate (or choose) dairy. Be kind.
This was delicious, but a bit out of whack from an effort vs reward perspective.
My WFM was out of leeks (perhaps due to popularity of this recipe??) so I experimented with 620 g sweet onions ... not the same as leeks, but even so, the finished dish was elegant and satisfying. I loved the interplay of earthy vegetables/lentils and tangy cream sauce. Look forward to making w. leeks! (I served alongside Yukon gold potatoes that were boiled, then smashed w roasted garlic, butter, parsley, lemon juice, salt.)
A little fussy but worth the effort. Thought I’d grabbed tarragon but got home to discover it was oregano which worked just fine in the dish. Only complaint was that the leeks were a smidge burned on the bottom. Wont crank the heat on the final cook next time.
This didn't turn out great for me. After all the time in the oven, the leeks were still a little crunchy and the flavor in general was underwhelming, except for the leek cream, which was extraordinary. I felt like it would be better to simply sauté the leeks in some olive oil, roast the garlic separately in the oven for the cream and the final dish. Then, combine cooked lentils, garlic, sauteed leeks, lemon juice and herbs at the end. Serve with leak cream.
This recipe is expensive (for a lentil dish) and a lot of work, but is ultimately delicious. Some of the steps were hard to follow (how long things should be in the oven at which temperature), but you can reason it out if you think about what order it makes to do things in. I'd add the lemon juice a tablespoon at a time, to taste. Ours ended up a little lemony. It felt like we were cleaning dishes the whole two hours this took to cook
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