Potato bake with leek and juicy meatballs – a creamy one-pan favourite packed with flavour.
If you love creamy potato gratin (flødekartofler), you are going to love this version. This potato bake with leek and juicy meatballs is true one-pan comfort food, where everything is cooked in a single dish – easy, full of flavour and brilliant for both weeknights and weekends.
The potatoes bake first with leek, cream, garlic, fresh sage, nutmeg and a generous handful of grated Vesterhavsost (a Danish aged hard cheese, not unlike a mature Gouda), so they turn ultra creamy and full of flavour. While the potatoes look after themselves in the oven, you make the mixture for the meatballs – a blend of beef and pork, bread soaked in milk, onion, garlic, parsley and, of course, a little more Vesterhavsost for extra umami.
The meatballs go on top of the potatoes, where they finish baking together, soaking up a little of the cream while giving plenty of flavour back to the dish. The whole thing takes on a lovely golden surface and is ready to serve with a crisp green salad, a little steamed broccoli or simply as it is.
This is the kind of recipe you come back to again and again.
Alternatives to Vesterhavsost, cream and sage
You don’t necessarily have to use Vesterhavsost – although it gives the dish a wonderful depth and umami. You can easily use other cheeses, depending on what you have in the fridge.
Try a good Parmesan, an aged Havarti or something similar – or make up your own combination. Just make sure the cheese has a bit of character and melts well, so it brings the same creamy, cheesy richness to the dish.
The same goes for the cream – if you want a slightly lighter alternative, you can use cremefine (a Danish light cream substitute) or another cooking cream. It works perfectly well, but be aware that the sauce may end up thinner. So a combination of whipping cream and cooking cream may be the best option.
Fresh sage is usually only stocked by larger supermarkets – and perhaps you don’t care for it at all? You can of course replace it with other herbs, or leave it out altogether. The dish has plenty of flavour in itself, even without herbs.
That said, fresh thyme would be an obvious choice. I would suggest 1-1 1/2 tsp fresh thyme leaves.
Dried herbs can also be used – adjust the amount to taste.
Whichever version you make, it is important to let the dish rest for 10-15 minutes before serving. This gives the cream time to thicken and set, and the whole dish becomes even more cohesive and delicious.
Potato bake with leek and meatballs
Ingredients
Potatoes
- 1 chicken stock cube
- 150 ml water
- 600 ml whipping cream (38% fat)
- 1 1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg, or 1 tsp ground
- 20 leaves fresh sage, finely chopped
- 1,4 kg potatoes – peeled weight
- 1 leek, sliced
- 3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- 120 g Vesterhavsost, grated Danish aged hard cheese; mature Gouda or Parmesan can be used instead
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
- Oil
Meatballs
- 2 slices bread, crusts removed, cubed
- 25 ml milk
- 400 g minced beef
- 400 g minced pork
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, grated or crushed
- 2 eggs
- 60 g Vesterhavsost, grated
- 1 handful parsley, finely chopped
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
Method
- Dissolve the stock cube in the water and stir it together with the cream, nutmeg and sage. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper.
- Peel or scrub the potatoes, cut them into 2-3 mm thick slices and tip them into a greased ovenproof dish together with the leek and garlic. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper and toss well.
- Pour the cream mixture over, scatter the cheese on top and toss lightly with 2 forks.
- Bake the potatoes in a preheated oven at 200°C, conventional oven (top and bottom heat), for about 40-45 minutes.
- Meanwhile, make the meatballs. Soak the bread in the milk.
- Put both kinds of mince in a bowl together with the onion, garlic, soaked bread, eggs, cheese and parsley. Season generously with salt and freshly ground pepper and mix thoroughly, ideally with an electric hand mixer.
- Divide the mixture into 24 portions of about 45 g each and roll them into meatballs.
- Take the dish of potatoes out of the oven and turn the heat up to 220°C – conventional oven (top and bottom heat).
- Arrange the meatballs over the potatoes. Nudge the potatoes around a little so the meatballs sit slightly down in the cream.
- Bake for a further 15-20 minutes or so – or until the meatballs are golden and cooked through.
- Let the dish rest for 10-15 minutes before serving, and sprinkle the top with fresh sage and parsley if you like.
Nutrition
Premium
Hej Diana
Rigtig god ret
Kom til at putte lidt flere grønsager i
Er der nogle specielle årsag til at du ikke skriver kalv og flæsk ? Men oksekød og gris hver for sig.
Undrede mig bare lige lidt.
Hej Maybritt
Det er jeg så glad for at høre – tusind tak for de søde ord 🙂
Jamen det er fordi det ikke er ikke er det samme – så når jeg skriver oksekød og gris hver for sig mener jeg ikke kalv/flæsk <3 🙂
Warm wishes, Dianna
Igen, igen – jeg har ikke lavet noget herfra endnu – der ikke bare er GODT!!
Smager virkeligt godt – min mand elsker det – Så godt!!!!
Hej Tina
Ej hvor gør det mig bare glad at høre – tusind tak for de meget søde ord:)
Warm wishes, Dianna
Hej Dianna
Igen (og selvfølgelig) endnu en lækker ret fra din hånd. 🩷
Hvis nu jeg jeg vil bruge tørret salvie, hvor meget tror du så jeg skal bruge?
Frisk salvie er ret svært at opstøve. 🫣
Kh. Lisa
Øj den ser lækker ud 🙂 Kan man mon bruge kalv- og flæsk i stedet for halvt oksekød og halv gris?
Hej Nadja
Ja det kan du sagten 🙂 Og tusind tak:)
God påske:)
Warm wishes, Dianna
Smager fantastisk
Hej Annette
Hvor er det dejligt at høre, tusind tak 🙂
Warm wishes, Dianna
Videoen matcher ikke helt opskriften…. 🙂
Hej Line
Tak for din besked:)
Kan du uddybe lidt?:)
For det er den rigtige video der ligger på. Men hvis videoen løber ud, så hopper den videre til en ny opskrift (ny video) 🙂
Warm wishes, Dianna
Kan man lave det med kødboller af hakket kyllingekød i stedet for?
Hej Maria
Ja det kan du sagtens gøre 🙂
Warm wishes, Dianna
Kan man ikke undlade Vesterhavsost ??
Hej Lone
Jo sagtens da 🙂
Warm wishes, Dianna
Kan man bruge anden krydderurt end Salvie?
Hej Ruth
Ja absolut, frisk timian vil være supe lækkert også.
Prøv med 1 – 1 1/2 tsk friske timianblade.
Warm wishes, Dianna
Kan man erstatte frisk salvie med et andet krydderi? Har nemlig ikke kunnet finde det i nogle supermarkeder.
Hej Anne
Ja sagtens, prøv med frisk timian, det vil også være super lækkert 🙂
Warm wishes, Dianna
Glæder mig til at prøve den, kan man undvære brødet ? Har nemlig ikke
Hej Jane
Det kan du sagtens, du kan erstatte med rasp – start med 3 spsk og tilsæt mere hvis der er behov for det:)
Warm wishes, Dianna
Husk også 1/2 dl mælk – selvom du ikke har brød:)
Warm wishes, Dianna
Glæder mig
Hej Anette
Håber det blev godt 🙂
Warm wishes, Dianna
Tak for en fantastisk opskrift. Den var virkelig lækker🙏🏻