½ cup chicken stock, chicken broth or vegetable broth
½ cup dry white wine
For the vinaigrette:
1 tablespoon butter
1 shallot, finely chopped
4 anchovy fillets, drained and thinly sliced
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
juice of ½ a lemon
For the garnish:
2 eggs, hardboiled and chopped
2 tablespoons parsley, finely chopped
zest from one lemon
kosher salt and black pepper to taste
Takes ,
serves 4.
Instructions
Prepare the leeks: Trim off the green and root ends of the leeks. Peel away and discard the two outer leaves. Cut the leeks in half lengthwise and rinse under cool water, fanning the halves out to remove any sand, grit or silt. Transfer to paper towel, cut side down, to drain.
Preheat oven to 350°F with the rack in the middle position. Melt butter in a large skillet on moderate or medium heat. Add prepared leeks cut side up and cook for about 5 minutes or until the underside of the leeks are a golden colour. Add stock and wine and simmer for an additional 10 minutes or until the liquid has reduced by half. Cover skillet and transfer to oven to bake for 20 minutes.
Prepare the vinaigrette: Melt butter in a small skillet on medium-high heat. Add the shallots and anchovies and cook until soft and tender. Add mustard, lemon juice and vinegar and stir until vinaigrette bubbles. Remove from heat.
Serve: Remove skillet from oven, carefully remove lid and transfer braised leeks to an attractive service platter. Sprinkle with chopped egg, then drizzle with hot vinaigrette. Garnish with chopped parsley and lemon zest. Season with salt and pepper and serve immediately.
Braised Leeks Recipe
Ingredients
6 medium-sized leeks
3 tablespoons butter
½ cup chicken stock, chicken broth or vegetable broth
½ cup dry white wine
For the vinaigrette:
1 tablespoon butter
1 shallot, finely chopped
4 anchovy fillets, drained and thinly sliced
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
juice of ½ a lemon
For the garnish:
2 eggs, hardboiled and chopped
2 tablespoons parsley, finely chopped
zest from one lemon
kosher salt and black pepper to taste
Directions
Prepare the leeks: Trim off the green and root ends of the leeks. Peel away and discard the two outer leaves. Cut the leeks in half lengthwise and rinse under cool water, fanning the halves out to remove any sand, grit or silt. Transfer to paper towel, cut side down, to drain.
Preheat oven to 350°F with the rack in the middle position. Melt butter in a large skillet on moderate or medium heat. Add prepared leeks cut side up and cook for about 5 minutes or until the underside of the leeks are a golden colour. Add stock and wine and simmer for an additional 10 minutes or until the liquid has reduced by half. Cover skillet and transfer to oven to bake for 20 minutes.
Prepare the vinaigrette: Melt butter in a small skillet on medium-high heat. Add the shallots and anchovies and cook until soft and tender. Add mustard, lemon juice and vinegar and stir until vinaigrette bubbles. Remove from heat.
Serve: Remove skillet from oven, carefully remove lid and transfer braised leeks to an attractive service platter. Sprinkle with chopped egg, then drizzle with hot vinaigrette. Garnish with chopped parsley and lemon zest. Season with salt and pepper and serve immediately.
Braised Leeks Recipe
5 / 5. 2
Gently braised leeks drizzled with a warm vinaigrette, sprinkled with chopped egg, parsley and lemon…
Need an attractive side dish that’s delicious too? This BRAISED LEEKS RECIPE is it.
Next time you’re in the grocery store, pick up two bunches of leeks, get this recipe front and centre and prepare to be amazed. Not only is this BRAISED LEEKS RECIPE extremely delicious, it’s also visually appealing and pairs perfectly with pretty much any main course. When a side dish is this fabulous, you just gotta make it.
Here are the key steps;
Trim, split and thoroughly rinse the leeks. This is essential to remove any dirt and grit within.
Braise the leeks in butter, white wine, and chicken stock to tenderize them.
While they braise in the rich broth, craft a very flavourful hot vinaigrette with Dijon, anchovies, shallots and lemon.
Finally, garnish the dressed leeks with chopped egg and fresh parsley before serving.
Trust us, this really is amazing!
Because this one side dish is such a showstopper, how about a request? Please PIN the recipe to a favourite vegetable side dish page or BOOKMARK this tab for easy access. SHARE it with friends so they can tell the world about it too. We’d also appreciate seeing pics of the dish when you make it. Use #weekendatthecottage when you post on Facebook and Instagram. Thanks!
Here are a few things to consider when you go to make this BRAISED LEEKS RECIPE:
Try to make the recipe using locally grown leeks and support your local farmers.
INGREDIENTS
We’ve included two ingredient photos for this post; one for the vinaigrette or sauce, and the other, (above) for the principal ingredients. You’ll be able to find all of the ingredients for this side dish recipe at your local grocery store or farmer’s market. As always, try to purchase organic or locally grown ingredients whenever possible. Yes, you will taste a difference.
Make sure to rinse the leeks to remove any grit or silt.
LEEKS
If you’re unfamiliar with leeks, let this recipe be your introduction to the vegetable. Leeks are alliums, related to onions, shallots, chives and garlic. They have a sweet, oniony flavour and we use them to add a depth of flavour to soups, sauces, pasta or in a standalone recipe such as this one. Using them requires a little bit of prep. Begin by trimming off both ends, the green part and the root. Then, remove at least the outer two layers of leaves, as they’re usually quite tough, and cut the leeks in half lengthwise. Next, rinse the halves under running water to remove any sand, grit or silt. Then you’re ready to proceed with the recipe.
Leeks with Creamy Cheese Sauce
After making this BRAISED LEEK RECIPE, please circle back and try our LEEKS AU GRATIN, this tasty LEEK & POTATO SOUP or our fabulous STEAMED MUSSELS in a sauce made with leeks. We know you’ll enjoy all of these leek-related taste treats.
The leeks caramelize and become very tender once braised.
BRAISING
The first step of preparing the leeks for this recipe is to brown or caramelize them on the stovetop using a large skillet. Good news, we do this using melted butter, yum! We set the skillet on moderate heat and suggest having tongs handy so that you can lift the strips of leek to see how they’re browning. After about 5 minutes, we add chicken broth or stock and white wine and cook uncovered for 10 minutes until the liquid reduces by half. Then, in the final step, we cover the pan and transfer it to the oven where the leeks cook for a final 20 minutes. This 35 minutes of total cook time produces soft flavourful leeks, braised to tender perfection.
Dress the leeks with the vinaigrette right before you serve.
VINAIGRETTE
Although I refer to the topping for this dish as a hot vinaigrette, you can also think of it as a sauce, or rather, a sauce like no other. It begins with a simple sauté of fragrant shallots and finely chopped anchovy fillets flavoured with Dijon, lemon juice and a tiny hint of red wine vinegar. In a way, I sometimes think of it as a warm CAESAR SALAD dressing, yet this sauce exceeds all expectations. If anchovies are not your thing, you can leave them out so long as you remember to salt the vinaigrette before serving. Then it’s just a drizzle over the BRAISED LEEKS – amazing!
The eggs, parsley and lemon pair perfectly with the oniony flavour of the leeks.
GARNISH
I know the garnish of chopped hard-boiled eggs may raise an eyebrow or two, but trust us, it works. In fact, the flavour of the egg combined with freshly chopped parsley and zippy lemon zest is what makes the dish so memorable. One suggestion on assembly; garnish the dish right before you send it to table or buffet. It’s best enjoyed with the leeks and sauce both warm.
Such a gorgeous presentation.
One final thought is to serve this side dish recipe with garnishes on the side if you feel all this amazing taste might be too much for picky eaters. Make the recipe work for you.
This side dish works with everything from beef and poultry to lamb, pork and fresh fish and seafood.
½ cup chicken stock, chicken broth or vegetable broth
½ cup dry white wine
For the vinaigrette:
1 tablespoon butter
1 shallot, finely chopped
4 anchovy fillets, drained and thinly sliced
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
juice of ½ a lemon
For the garnish:
2 eggs, hardboiled and chopped
2 tablespoons parsley, finely chopped
zest from one lemon
kosher salt and black pepper to taste
Directions
Prepare the leeks: Trim off the green and root ends of the leeks. Peel away and discard the two outer leaves. Cut the leeks in half lengthwise and rinse under cool water, fanning the halves out to remove any sand, grit or silt. Transfer to paper towel, cut side down, to drain.
Preheat oven to 350°F with the rack in the middle position. Melt butter in a large skillet on moderate or medium heat. Add prepared leeks cut side up and cook for about 5 minutes or until the underside of the leeks are a golden colour. Add stock and wine and simmer for an additional 10 minutes or until the liquid has reduced by half. Cover skillet and transfer to oven to bake for 20 minutes.
Prepare the vinaigrette: Melt butter in a small skillet on medium-high heat. Add the shallots and anchovies and cook until soft and tender. Add mustard, lemon juice and vinegar and stir until vinaigrette bubbles. Remove from heat.
Serve: Remove skillet from oven, carefully remove lid and transfer braised leeks to an attractive service platter. Sprinkle with chopped egg, then drizzle with hot vinaigrette. Garnish with chopped parsley and lemon zest. Season with salt and pepper and serve immediately.
