The best way to eat your vegetables? Baked in an all-butter, flaky dough, arranged over a layer of cream cheese, and served warm, like this leek and potato galette.
This is one of those recipes that takes rather humble ingredients and transforms them into something much greater than the sum of its individual parts.
A simple all-butter, flaky dough makes the base of this galette, followed by a layer of cream cheese and Parmesan, and finally, thin slices of potato and leek.
The flavors deepen and meld in the oven, creating a final product that’s rich and full of umami — a serious treat! It’s perfect for brunch, served alongside a green salad, or as an afternoon snack with a cup of coffee.
But this leek and potato galette would also be wonderful served at a dinner party, either as an appetizer or as part of a larger spread.
Key Ingredients
Yukon Gold Potatoes
They work especially well here because they have a moderate starch level that turn the potato slices velvety and creamy when cooked. Their waxy texture holds its shape beautifully in the oven, and they become tender without falling apart. They’re ideal for layering over the galette while still getting those lovely golden edges as they bake.
Leeks
They are briefly cooked before going onto the galette. This gives them a head start, softening their texture and bringing out their natural sweetness without letting them become too soft or watery in the oven. It also means they bake at the same pace as the potatoes.
Cream Cheese & Parmesan
A cream cheese mixture creates a rich, creamy base for the potatoes and leeks. The Parmesan adds saltiness, nuttiness, and an extra layer of umami.
Together, they make the filling rich without overpowering the delicate flavor of the vegetables.
Flaky Salt
A sprinkle of flaky salt around the border just before baking is the finishing touch that brings everything together. It adds little pops of saltiness and gives the crust an extra bit of texture and flavor.
Hot Honey
For a final flourish, drizzle the galette with a little hot honey just before serving. The combination of sweet heat with the buttery crust, creamy cheese, and savory vegetables is especially good. It’s completely optional, but highly recommended!
The Dough
The key to a flaky galette crust is keeping the butter cold. As the galette bakes, the cold butter melts and releases steam, creating pockets between the layers of dough. This is what gives the crust its flaky texture.
Work with cold butter and cold water, and avoid letting the dough get warm as you work. Cut the butter into the flour until you have a mixture with some pea-sized pieces of butter still visible.
These larger pieces create more distinct pockets in the finished crust, while the smaller pieces help give the dough structure.
It’s also important not to overwork the dough. Mix it just until it comes together, then shape it into a disk and refrigerate it before rolling. If the butter starts to soften at any point, put the dough back in the refrigerator before continuing.
Keeping everything cold and working efficiently will give you a much flakier crust.
If you make this Leek and Potato Galette, please let me know in the comments! I’d love to hear from you.
More Galette Recipes
Grape Blueberry Galette: A delightful, unfussy dessert built on a flaky, buttery crust and filled with grapes and blueberries that burst and become jammy in the oven.
Rustic Plum Galette: Another unfussy dessert, this one features a creme fraîche dough, a frangipane layer, and fresh plums.
Apple Galette: This simple galette features an ultra-tender, rich, and perfectly flaky dough made with both mascarpone and butter. It’s the perfect dessert to serve at the end of a dinner party.
Caramelized Onion Zucchini Galette: This galette showcases summer’s star vegetable, the humble zucchini. From a flaky pistachio crust to a filling that’s full of layers and flavors, this is a recipe you’ll surely be making every summer!
Leek and Potato Galette
Ingredients
Equipment:
Dough:
- 155g (1¼ cups) all-purpose flour, plus more for surface
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp sugar
- 142g (¾ cup) unsalted butter, cold
- 25g (1½ tbsp) heavy cream, cold
- 45g (3 tbsp) ice water, plus more as needed
- 1 egg, beaten, for egg wash
Filling:
- 1 tbsp olive oil, plus more for drizzling
- ½ leek, thinly sliced
- 150g cream cheese
- 30g (2 tbsp) parmesan cheese, grated
- 1 clove garlic, grated
- 2 tbsp parsley, chopped
- 1 medium Yukon Gold potato, thinly sliced
- Kosher salt and black pepper
- Flaky sea salt
- hot honey, optional, for serving
Instructions
- Make the dough: Whisk flour, sugar, and salt in a medium bowl to combine.
- Cut half the butter into cubes and thinly slice the remaining half. Add to the bowl and toss to coat the butter. Using your fingers, quickly smash the cubes and slices into smaller, flat, pea-sized pieces.
- Drizzle in the heavy cream, mixing with a fork. Add the ice-cold water, one tablespoon at a time, mixing until the dough just starts to hold together in large clumps.
- Transfer the clumps to a piece of plastic wrap, leaving the dry bits in the bowl. Drizzle more ice-cold water into the dry bits, just until they hold together when squeezed in your hand. Add this to the dough on the plastic wrap.
- Wrap tightly into a square, pushing the dough into the into corners and pressing out any air pockets. Chill for 2 hours or overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 400ºF/ 200°C.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Let the dough sit at room temperature for about 5 minutes to soften.
- Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium-low. Add the leek and season with a little bit of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened but not browned, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, combine the cream cheese, parmesan, garlic, and parsley. Season with salt and black pepper.
- Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface to a 9-inch round. Transfer to prepared baking sheet.
- Using a spoon or offset spatula, spread the cream cheese mixture over the dough, leaving a 1-inch border. Top with potato slices, slightly overlapping them as you layer. Drizzle with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper.
- Scatter the leeks evenly over potatoes. Fold the edges of the dough over the filling, overlapping as needed. Brush top of dough with the beaten egg and sprinkle with flaky salt.
- Bake until the crust is golden brown and potatoes are soft, 30-40 minutes. Drizzle with hot honey, if desired. Serve.
