Coraline was disgusted. “Daddy,” she said, “you’ve made a recipe again.”
“It’s leek and potato stew with a tarragon garnish and melted Gruyère cheese,” he admitted.
-Coraline, Neil Gaiman
Big one-pot dishes are always a relief when hosting parties or when you’re asked to ‘bring a dish’. It’s easy and fuss-free, meaning one less thing to worry about. Which is why this leek and potato stew with tarragon and Gruyère cheese is great if you’re throwing a Coraline dinner party or hosting a Coraline themed book club event for October. Menu, sorted.
I decided to purée the stew, technically making it a soup, to blend the flavours together. However if you want to be authentic and leave it as a stew, make sure you finely chop your onions, leeks and potatoes before cooking.
Note, not everyone is going to like Gruyère cheese. If Coraline’s dad’s taste in cheese is too ‘out there’ for you (in other words, if pungent cheeses like blue cheese isn’t your thing, Gruyère will make you wrinkle your nose), try a sharp/ extra sharp/vintage cheese instead. Don’t forgo a strong cheese though, you need that extra something, otherwise the soup will fall flat in flavour.
- 20g Butter
- 2 leeks (topped chopped off), chopped
- 2 large potatoes, chopped
- ½ c cream
- Tarragon
- Gruyere cheese
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 clove garlic, crushed or chopped
- 2 cups vegetable stock
- Melt butter, then saute the garlic, onion, and leeks.
- Add in the potatoes, vegetable stock and let simmer with the lid on, until the potatoes are soft.
- Add in the cream, then stir in the Gruyère cheese until it starts to melt.
- If you like, use a stick blender to puree the leek and potato pieces, so it’s smooth and creamy (making it less stew, more soup).
- Spoon into bowls and top with a sprinkle of tarragon.
Looking for more Halloween recipes? You might also like:
Sleepy Hollow Sour Cream Peach Pie
Throw a Legend of Sleepy Hollow Party; The Menu From The Book
Hi,
that looks so delicious!
One quick question: are those sweet potatoes?
Thanks and greetings from Greece!
Hi Bella, I used white potatoes for this recipe.