Mary Wilson and I were in Germany in December 2014, having dinner in a lovely restaurant with friends. Mary ordered the venison, and I had the duck. Both dishes were absolutely beautiful in execution, and our dinners—as well as several of the others in our party—were accompanied by these beautiful crispy-around-the-edges Oven Roasted Leeks. Amidst dinner Mary turned to me and said, “What are these? They are delicious.” Looking at my plate I replied, “They are roasted leeks. I have always been curious about cooking these. “OK,” said Mary, “we need these on our food blog.” Well, after a bit of research and a couple of experiments, here are the results! A delicious accompaniment to chicken, beef, pork, shrimp, or even goose or venison; these leeks are like a mild and tasty variation on onions, and they are very easy to cook. As they say in Germany: Guten apatit!
Mary Wilson and Mark Bego’s Oven Roasted Leeks
Ingredients:
—2 large Leeks
—4 tablespoons Olive Oil
—1/2 teaspoon Salt
—1/2 teaspoon Pepper
—1/2 teaspoon Garlic Powder
—1/2 teaspoon fresh or dried Thyme Leaves
Directions:
OK, here is the hardest part of the whole recipe: cleaning the leeks. Now leaks grow just like onions in that they are formed of layers. However, unlike onions that grow tightly underground, leeks grow above ground in sandy soil. This makes it very easy for sand to get trapped in between the leaves of the leek.
Cut the majority of the tough green top leaves off of the leek. Chop the roots and the last quarter inch off of the bottom of the leek. This should give you about a five-, six-, seven- or eight-inch vegetable to work with. Next, make a long slice from end-to-end, cutting each individual leek into two halves.
While holding the leek firmly by either one end or the other, feather the leaves apart under running water to clean them. Do not let go of the leek, as you do not want it to fall apart. However, you do want any trapped sand and dirt to come out. When you are done with one end, hold the leek by the clean end, and wash the other end.
To make this easier, you might want to feather the leek leaves apart in a bowl in the sink that has running water in it. All of the sand and dirt will fall to the bottom of it.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Using a baking dish or baking sheet, arrange the leeks next to each other. Pour one tablespoon of olive oil on each leak, letting the oil seep in between the leaves. That is one whole tablespoon per half of a leek.
Then with the salt, pepper, and garlic powder, use the one half teaspoon of each of these for all four leek halves.
With the teaspoon of chopped fresh or dried thyme leaves, use the entire teaspoon divided up for all four leek halves.
Place the leeks into the 350 degree oven, and roast them for 50 minutes. That’s it! It couldn’t be easier or tastier.
Milder than onions, but with the same great flavor, leeks are an excellent source of vitamins A, B1, B2, B3, B5, B9, C, E, and K. I know you have seen these in your local grocery store, so you now have the perfect way to make and serve them!
Mary Wilson and Mark Bego’s Oven Roasted Leeks
Ingredients:
—2 large Leeks
—4 tablespoons Olive Oil
—1/2 teaspoon Salt
—1/2 teaspoon Pepper
—1/2 teaspoon Garlic Powder
—1/2 teaspoon fresh or dried Thyme Leaves
Directions:
OK, here is the hardest part of the whole recipe: cleaning the leeks. Now leaks grow just like onions in that they are formed of layers. However, unlike onions that grow tightly underground, leeks grow above ground in sandy soil. This makes it very easy for sand to get trapped in between the leaves of the leek.
Cut the majority of the tough green top leaves off of the leek. Chop the roots and the last quarter inch off of the bottom of the leek. This should give you about a five-, six-, seven- or eight-inch vegetable to work with. Next, make a long slice from end-to-end, cutting each individual leek into two halves.
While holding the leek firmly by either one end or the other, feather the leaves apart under running water to clean them. Do not let go of the leek, as you do not want it to fall apart. However, you do want any trapped sand and dirt to come out. When you are done with one end, hold the leek by the clean end, and wash the other end.
To make this easier, you might want to feather the leek leaves apart in a bowl in the sink that has running water in it. All of the sand and dirt will fall to the bottom of it.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Using a baking dish or baking sheet, arrange the leeks next to each other. Pour one tablespoon of olive oil on each leak, letting the oil seep in between the leaves. That is one whole tablespoon per half of a leek.
Then with the salt, pepper, and garlic powder, use the one half teaspoon of each of these for all four leek halves.
With the teaspoon of chopped fresh or dried thyme leaves, use the entire teaspoon divided up for all four leek halves.
Place the leeks into the 350 degree oven, and roast them for 50 minutes. That’s it! It couldn’t be easier or tastier.
Milder than onions, but with the same great flavor, leeks are an excellent source of vitamins A, B1, B2, B3, B5, B9, C, E, and K. I know you have seen these in your local grocery store, so you now have the perfect way to make and serve them!