It might be a stretch to call this a "salad", but for me this is the winter version of the classic potato salad. I love to make this if I find myself with leftover cheeses. Any type of cheese will work, but I really think it turns out extra delicious with a sharp, matured cheese like comté, cheddar or emmental.
Ingredients
- 400 g potatoes
- 100 g leeks
- 70 g comté
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- ½ tsp salt
- 20 g butter
- 20 g plain white flour
- 2 dl milk
- 1 tbsp chives
- ½ tbsp capers
- ½ tsp black pepper
Method
- Use either small potatoes or cut large potatoes into smaller pieces. Boil in lightly salted water until they are soft.
- Slice the white (and a bit of the light green) part of one leek into small pieces. Clean it well to get rid of all soil! Heat up olive oil in a saucepan and sweat the leek on medium/low heat until it`s soft but not coloured. This will take about 6-7 minutes.
- Grate the cheese.
- Add the butter and let melt before you stir in the flour. Let simmer om low heat for a couple of minutes. Pour in the milk and whisk together. Let simmer while stirring occasionally until the sauce has thickened.
- Stir the cheese into the warm sauce. Finely slice the capers (can be left out or swapped with cornichons) and chives (or use the herbs you like) and add to the sauce. Add salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
- Carefully mix the potatoes with the sauce (try to keep them as whole as possible). I served the potatoes as a dish of it`s own with a little salad, radishes and bread, but they will also be delicious as a side to for example chicken, cured meats or smoked sausages.
