Braised Leeks and Potatoes

*Adapted from iflipforfood.com

Braising is the best technique EVER! So easy and so much flavor! This is a delicious and comforting side dish. Great for cold weather (although I think the first time I made this it was summer!)

Ingredients:
3 medium leeks (about 1 1/2 lbs with the dark green tops cut off)
1 1/2 lbs Yukon gold potatoes
1 1/2 tsp chopped fresh thyme
Pinch of ground nutmeg
Salt and pepper
1 1/4 cups chicken stock
2 tbsp butter, cut into small pieces
1/3 cup heavy cream

Preheat oven to 325 degrees and put chicken stock on the stove to simmer.

Preparing the leeks and potatoes:

Trim roots and green parts, quarter them lengthwise and slice into pieces about 3/4 inch thick. Rinse in a colander to get rid of the dirt and drain.

Peel the potatoes and cut into about 1-inch chunks.

Preparing the dish:

Butter the casserole dish, put the leeks and potatoes in, sprinkled them with the thyme and nutmeg, and generously season them with salt and pepper. Toss together, pour the hot broth over the leeks and potatoes and dot the top with pieces of butter.

Cover the casserole dish tightly with foil and put it in the oven. After about 45 minutes, remove the foil and stir the leeks and potatoes, if there is a lot of liquid left, continue cooking with foil off, about 40 minutes, until leeks and potatoes are very tender. Remove the dish, raise the oven temp to 425 and, after stirring the potatoes and leeks one more time, pour cream over them. Put the uncovered dish back in the oven and bake another 30 minutes or until top is browned and most of liquid is absorbed.