Leeks with ham
In this recipe, we're going to treat leeks a bit like endives with ham, for a slightly atypical but delicious gratin with leek béchamel sauce.
555 4.3/5 (3 reviews)
1 hour 40 min.
Easy
6.75 €
4 people
8 IngredientsLast modified on: March 22th 2026
For 4 people, you will need:
- 1
80 g Comté cheese - 2
4 leeks - 3
4 tablespoons olive oil - 4
1 litre milk - 5
2 cloves garlic - 6
4 slices ham - 7
salt - 8
pepper - Total weight: 2,240 grams
Times for this recipe
Preparation: 1 hour
Cooking: 40 min.
All in all: 1 hour 40 min.
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Step by step recipe
Stage 1 - ⌛ 3 min.
Grate 80 g Comté cheese and set aside.
Stage 2 - ⌛ 10 min.
Stage 3 - ⌛ 3 min.
Cut the egg whites in 2 lengthwise and season with salt.
Stage 4 - ⌛ 3 min.
Pour 4 tablespoons olive oil into a large frying pan over medium heat, and when hot, drop in the leek halves.
Stage 5 - ⌛ 8 min.
Brown them on both sides over low heat, to taste, then remove the pan from the heat and leave to cool.
Stage 6 - ⌛ 5 min.
Stage 7 - ⌛ 10 min.
Pour 1 litre milk into a saucepan, add salt, leek greens and 2 cloves garlic, then cook over low heat for 10 minutes.
Stage 8 - ⌛ 2 min.
Pour the contents of the saucepan into a colander set over a salad bowl, and scoop out all the leek milk, pressing down on the leeks with the back of a tablespoon.
Remove and discard the garlic cloves, and set aside the green of the cooked leeks, which you can use for another recipe.
Remove and discard the garlic cloves, and set aside the green of the cooked leeks, which you can use for another recipe.
Stage 9 - ⌛ 20 min.
Use the leek milk to make a béchamel sauce, then add half the grated Comté cheese and set aside.
Stage 10 - ⌛ 2 min.
Assembling the gratin
Preheat your oven to 200°C (390°F).
Place a layer of béchamel sauce in the bottom of your gratin dish.
Stage 11
Reconstitute a leek by assembling 2 halves.
Stage 12
Roll it in a slice of ham.
Stage 13 - ⌛ 10 min.
And place in the dish, doing the same for all the leeks.
Stage 14 - ⌛ 2 min.
Top with a generous dollop of béchamel sauce, then sprinkle with the remaining grated Comté cheese.
Stage 15 - ⌛ 20 min.
Bake in the oven for around 20 minutes, giving a little broil at the end if necessary to get a nice color on the top.
Stage 16
Enjoy warm, but not hot.
Remarks
For a quicker version, as in the original recipe, leave the leek whites unsplit and steam them whole.
You can use cheeses other than Comté, but preferably a hard one (Gruyère, Emmenthal, etc.) to brown the top.
You can use cheeses other than Comté, but preferably a hard one (Gruyère, Emmenthal, etc.) to brown the top.
Keeping: 1 or 2 days in the fridge, protected by cling film.
Nutritional information
| Proteins (gr) | Carbohydrates (gr) | Fats (gr) | Energy value (in k-calories) | Energy value (in k-joules) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whole recipe | 130 RDI=50 % | 110 RDI=10 % | 180 RDI=30 % | 2,590 RDI=130 % | 10,840 RDI: 130 % |
| Per 100 g | 5 RDI=2 % | 5 RDI=0 % | 7 RDI=1 % | 120 RDI=6 % | 480 RDI: 6 % |
| Per person | 30 RDI=10 % | 30 RDI=3 % | 40 RDI=7 % | 650 RDI=30 % | 2,710 RDI: 30 % |
How much will it cost?
- For 4 people : 6.75 €
- Per person : 1.70 €
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Note: Be careful, these prices are only an estimate, you can consult the table of prices by ingredients used for this estimate.
This recipe uses (among others)
Milk
Like these other recipes: Mouna, Buckwheat pancakes, Polpete, Clementine-chestnuts brioche perdue, Jam doughnuts, ... See them all 66
Comté cheese
Like these other recipes: Potato gratin, Cubed salad, Escalope cordon bleu, Potato gratin with 3 cheeses, Chard gratin à la Mornay, ... See them all 46
Leek
Like these other recipes: Sautéed Pork with Peanuts, Country vegetable soup, Creamy Winter Vegetable Soup, Leek and celery soup, Scallops au gratin, ... See them all 77
Ham
Like these other recipes: Bistro celery salad, Potted meat (rillettes), Ham pasta bake, Croque-monsieur complet, Croque-monsieur potatoes, ... See them all 32
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