Potatoes and... the Last of the Andouille

I made it through the last of the andouille. Finally. I actually didn't think I was going to like this at all because, well... I'm kind of tired of andouille. I ate it for so many days, I was happy to see the end of it approaching. This was actually pretty good, though, so by the end I felt glad I'd had that last bit. This is a kind of casserole type thing. Simple to prepare and tasty in a very rustic-feeling way.

2 cups sliced and cleaned leek (remember that giant leek I talked about? I finished it with this meal too)
small handful of dried shitake slices, rehydrated (or 1 whole dried shitake, reconstituted and sliced)
1 medium red potato, sliced into 1/4" rounds
4 ounces andouille, sliced into 1/4" rounds
pinch of salt, sprinkle of white pepper and a shake of paprika
light drizzle of lemon juice, vegetable oil and vegetable broth

Heat oven to 400F. Put the leeks in a small casserole dish. Top with andouille and mushroom slices, then with the potato. Sprinkle on the seasonings and drizzle on the liquids. Cover, then toss it in the oven for 45 minutes. Eat. Serves 1.

Comments

  1. Jacqueline Meldrum5:50 PM

    OK, so I have to know! I admit my ignorance, now tell me, what is andouille?

    ReplyDelete
  2. Allie6:07 PM

    I would be surprised if you *had* known it, considering you're a vegetarian, and ... you're in England, right?

    Originally, andouille was a French pork sausage (and there are still some French andouilles made, though they are a little different from this sausage). The French (some people speculate it was actually German settlers, since they have similar pork sausage recipes; I personally lean toward the French) colonists of Louisiana brought it over with them and modified the recipes for this sausage to fit their needs in the New World. Over time, it became a classic ingredient in cajun cooking; found in red beans and rice, gumbo, crawfish boils and all sorts of other goodies. It's typically mildly spicy and has a really even texture, despite there always being an assortment of bits that I am pleased to be unable to identify.

    I had initially planned to make this casserole without the meat in it, but I really did want to use it up before it went bad. So I think it'd be good w/o the sausage as well.

    ReplyDelete

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