Potato, Leek and Bacon Au Gratin

This Potato Leek and Bacon au Gratin is the perfect everyday or special occasion side dish with its potatoes, leeks, and bacon in a creamy cheese sauce.

Looking for a great side dish for your Thanksgiving dinner? If you are, then I have something really delicious to share with you. A Potato, Leek, and Bacon Au Gratin!

Layers and layers of potatoes with earthy leeks, bacon, and best of all – cheese! Now really, who doesn’t like all of those things? Kids will eat this until you force them to stop and the adults are nearly as enthusiastic. Just imagine this drool-worthy dish alongside your Thanksgiving turkey. Pretty darned near perfect!

This dish came about a few years ago when I was asked to come up with a new recipe using Sargento shredded cheese. Since cheddar is one of my most favorite kinds of cheese, I thought their cheddar blend would be the perfect choice for an au gratin. It definitely was! 

Now let’s get started on that delicious gratin!

How to Make Potato Leek and Bacon au Gratin

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Cook and crumble the bacon and set aside. I happened to have some left from breakfast and used it in the recipe. You could also use the pre-cooked bacon available at your grocery store if you’d like.

Peel the potatoes and slice as thinly as possible. I use a mandolin for this but a sharp knife works just as well.

For one cup of sliced leeks, you’ll need about one large or two medium leeks. Remove any wilted outer leaves and tough, dark green upper leaves. Slice the leek lengthwise once and then crosswise into about 1/2″ slices. Wash thoroughly to remove any dirt between the layers. Drain on a paper towel.

In a large deep skillet, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter over medium high heat. Add the leeks and saute for 5-6 minutes or until wilted but not browned. Remove the leeks from the pan and set them aside.

In the same pan, melt the remaining butter over medium heat. Add the flour, salt, and pepper and whisk together until smooth. Cook for one minute. Slowly add the milk, whisking constantly. Bring the mixture to a boil. Cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes or until thickened.

Remove the pan from the heat and add 1 1/2 cups of the cheddar blend cheese stirring until melted. Reserve the remaining cheese for the topping.

Add the reserved leeks and bacon along with the sliced potatoes. Stir until thoroughly mixed being careful not to break the potato slices any more than necessary.

Transfer the mixture to a greased baking dish. Cover with foil and bake for 1 hour.

In a small bowl, combine the remaining cheese with the bread crumbs. Carefully remove the baking dish from the oven and evenly sprinkle the top with the bread crumbs and cheese mixture. Return to the oven and bake uncovered for an additional 30-40 minutes or until the potatoes are tender.

Enjoy!

More Thanksgiving Side Dish Recipes on Lana’s Cooking:

• Butternut Squash with Pecans and Blue Cheese
• Copper Pennies
• Sweet Potato Casserole
• Baked Acorn Squash
• Broccoli Casserole

Questions? I’m happy to help!

If you have more questions about the recipe, or if you’ve made it and would like to leave a comment, scroll down to leave your thoughts, questions, and/or rating!

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Potato Leek and Bacon au Gratin

Potatoes, leeks, and bacon combine with a creamy cheddar cheese sauce for this holiday worthy side dish.

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Course: Side Dishes

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour hour 40 minutes minutes

Total Time: 2 hours hours

Servings: 8 servings

Calories: 535kcal

Author: Lana Stuart

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Ingredients

• ▢ 4 slices cooked crumbled bacon
• ▢ 4 tablespoons butter divided
• ▢ 1 cup cleaned sliced leeks
• ▢ 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• ▢ 1 ½ teaspoon salt
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
• ▢ 2 cups milk
• ▢ 7.5 ounces Cheddar cheese blend
• ▢ 6 medium Russet potatoes peeled and thinly sliced
• ▢ ⅓ cup dry bread crumbs

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
• In a large skillet, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter over medium high heat. Add the leeks and saute for 5-6 minutes or until wilted but not browned. Remove leeks from the pan and set aside.
• In the same pan, melt the remaining butter over medium heat. Add the flour, salt, and pepper and whisk together until smooth. Cook for one minute. Slowly add the milk, whisking constantly. Bring the mixture to a boil. Cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes or until thickened.
• Remove the pan from the heat and add 1 1/2 cups of Sargento® Chef Blends™ 4 State Cheddar® stirring until cheese is melted. Reserve the remaining cheese for the topping. Add the sliced potatoes, leeks, and bacon. Stir until thoroughly mixed being careful not to break the potato slices.
• Transfer the mixture to a greased baking dish. Cover with foil and bake for 1 hour.
• In a small bowl, combine the remaining cheese with the bread crumbs. Carefully remove the baking dish from the oven and evenly sprinkle the top with the bread crumbs and cheese mixture. Return to the oven and bake uncovered for an additional 30-40 minutes or until the potatoes are tender.

Notes

Nutrition Information

Serving 1 | Calories 535kcal | Carbohydrates 72g | Protein 19g | Fat 19g | Saturated Fat 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat 7g | Cholesterol 52mg | Sodium 837mg | Fiber 5g | Sugar 2g

Nutrition information is calculated by software based on the ingredients in each recipe. It is an estimate only and is provided for informational purposes. You should consult your healthcare provider or a registered dietitian if precise nutrition calculations are needed for health reasons.

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— This post was originally sponsored by Sargento.