Leeks Vinaigrette
This classic french dish is one of my favorites to prepare at home. Leeks are poached until meltingly tender, garnished with hard-boiled eggs, and then marinated in a mustardy, bright vinaigrette. This dish works very well as an appetizer or side dish and I love it as an accompaniment to steak-frites or a simple roasted chicken. The secret is to make sure you cook the leeks until they are super soft, sweet and tender. If the leeks are undercooked they can have a harsh onion flavor and the texture won’t have the same luxurious quality.
Making this dish is very simple. there are only 3 things you need to do… cook the leeks, boil and chop the eggs, and make the vinaigrette.
The leeks in this dish are often split lengthwise and poached in salted water. They are then cut into long sections and served as is. While this is a great, simple way to serve them, in this recipe we will be cutting the leeks into rounds for a slightly different presentation. Just be sure to rinse away any dirt or sand you come across while cutting the leeks into rounds.
Goes well with:
- Brandade de Morue
- Steak Frites
- Simple roasted chicken
- Beef tartare
Leeks Vinaigrette
Ingredients
Poached leeks
- 2-3 large leeks, white and light-green parts only (need about 2/3# of leek after removing the dark green tops)
- 2 cloves garlic, lightly crushed
- 4 small sprigs thyme
- 2/3 cup dry sherry or white wine
- salt to taste
- water, as needed
Vinaigrette
- 1.5 Tbsp minced shallot
- 1.5 tsp honey
- 1 tsp smooth dijon mustard
- 1 Tbsp grainy dijon mustard
- 3 Tbsp champagne vinegar or white wine vinegar
- 3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- scant tsp kosher salt (use less if using table salt)
- 1/2 tsp fresh picked thyme leaves
- fresh black pepper, as needed
Garnishes
- 2 peeled, hard-boiled eggs, cold or room-temp
- a few picked parsley and/or tarragon leaves for garnish (optional)
- pinch of crunchy finishing salt such as fleur de sel. (optional)
Instructions
Poaching the leeks
- Rinse the leeks well, remove any outer layers if they are damaged, and slice them into 1/2 inch rounds. You should have roughly 2/3 pound of leek rounds. As you are slicing the leeks, you may notice some sand in between the layers, particularly closer to the light green parts. If you see any bits of soil or sand, try to rinse it away while keeping the leek rounds intact.
- Place the leek rounds in one layer at the bottom of a sautee pan that has a lid. Make sure they are flat against the bottom of the pan. Add the 2/3 cup sherry/wine, 2 cloves crushed garlic, and 4 sprigs thyme to the pan. Add enough water to barely cover the leeks without letting them float around too much.
- Place the pan over medium-high heat and bring to a simmer. Once the liquid comes to a simmer, add a pinch of salt to the cooking liquid and allow it to dissolve. Taste the cooking liquid and adjust the seasoning of the cooking liquid until it is pleasantly seasoned, not salty. Cover with a lid, turn the heat down to maintain a gentle simmer, and cook for 15-20 minutes
- After 15-20 minutes, taste one of the leek rounds, it should be very tender, if not, keep cooking. When the leeks are tender, carefully remove them from the poaching liquid using a spatula. Put them on a plate and place in the refrigerator until completely cool.
Vinaigrette
- Whisk together everything but the olive oil. After everything is combined, slowly drizzle in the olive oil while whisking in order to emulsify it into the vinaigrette. Check seasoning by tasting the vinaigrette with a little bit of leek, adjust if necessary. Set vinaigrette aside.
Assembly
- Chop the 2 hard-boiled eggs into roughly 1/4 inch pieces. season them with a pinch of salt and some fresh black pepper.
- Transfer chilled leeks to a serving plate and sprinkle with a pinch of the finishing salt. Top with chopped egg and picked parsley/tarragon leaves. Spoon the vinaigrette over everything so that it soaks into every piece of leek. Allow everything to sit for 5 to 10 minutes before serving to allow the vinaigrette to infuse into the leeks. This dish can be prepared well ahead of time and will even taste great the next day.
