Salt-baked leeks with Arbroath smokies, pomme purée, Montgomery cheddar and leek top oil
In this dish, buttery Arbroath smokies and salt-baked leeks are served with decadent mashed potato, which are then torched to give the potatoes a crispy, cheesy crust. Don’t panic when you see the amount of salt in this recipe! That is used in a dough that wraps the leeks as they bake, so that the leeks are perfectly seasoned as they steam.
Ingredients
Metric
Imperial
- 1 Arbroath smokie, or good quality smoked haddock
- 200g of Montgomery's cheddar
Leek top oil
- 200g of leek tops
- 300g of sunflower oil
Salt-baked leeks
- 375g of plain flour
- 175g of salt
- 225g of water
- 1 sprig of rosemary
- 2 sprigs of thyme
- 2 sprigs of flat-leaf parsley
- 2 leek whites
Anchovy butter
- 200g of butter
- 25g of anchovies
- 1 tsp malt extract
- 10g of parsley leaves, finely chopped
- 1 tsp capers
Pomme purée
- 2kg Carolus potato, or another very dry fluffy potato variety
- 200g of milk
- 200g of cream
- 200g of butter
Equipment
- Potato ricer
- iSi whip
- Blow torch
Method
Take the leek tops and place into a blender
- 200g of leek tops
Heat oil to 100°C, pour in the blender and blend on high for 6 minutes. Make sure to only use a blender which has an opening for heat and steam to escape (not a Nutribullet for example), but keep it loosely covered so you aren’t scalded
- 300g of sunflower oil
Pour the leek oil and pulp into a container and leave for 24 hours for the oil to infuse and take on the colour of the leeks
The next day, strain the oil and keep in the fridge until required
Preheat the oven to 180°C fan
Mix the flour, salt and water in a bowl until a dough is formed. Roll out the dough and lay the herbs in the middle
- 375g of plain flour
- 175g of salt
- 225g of water
- 1 sprig of rosemary
- 2 sprigs of thyme
- 2 sprigs of flat-leaf parsley
Place the leeks on top of the herbs and fold the dough around the leeks
Place onto a non-stick tray and transfer to the oven. When a probe reaches 80°C, remove from the oven and leave to cool
Once cool, break the crust and discard. Carefully carve the leeks into small discs
For the anchovy butter, blend together all the ingredients in a blender until smooth. Place in the fridge until required
- 200g of butter
- 25g of anchovies
- 1 tsp malt extract
- 10g of parsley leaves, finely chopped
- 1 tsp capers
For the smokies, take the fillets off the bone. Remove the skin and pin bone the fish, taking care as the bones are very delicate. Keep all the trim in the freezer for a delicious smoky fish broth for another day
- 1 Arbroath smokie, or good quality smoked haddock
Take the fillets and flake into small pieces and put to one side
For the pomme purée, preheat the oven to 180°C fan
Wash the potatoes, pat dry and place onto a bed of salt
- 2kg Carolus potato, or another very dry fluffy potato variety
Bake in the oven for 30–45 minutes or until the potatoes are cooked
Leave the potatoes to cool for 10 minutes, then while they are still hot, cut in half and scoop out the potato
Pass the potato through a potato ricer, or drum sieve
Bring the milk, cream and butter to a simmer. Add the potato and beat into the dairy. Season with salt and add milk until a loose mash potato is achieved
- 200g of milk
- 200g of cream
- 200g of butter
Pour this into an ISI cream whipper and charge with 1 canister. Keep warm until needed
To serve, melt the anchovy butter in a pan, add the leeks and Arbroath smokies and very gently heat through
Spoon the leeks and Arbroath smokies into four bowls with a spoon of the butter. Cover with the mash, finely grate over the Montgomery cheddar and blow torch until golden brown
- 200g of Montgomery's cheddar
Finish with the leek top oil and serve
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