600g Maris Piper potatoes, peeled and sliced into 2cm rounds
1 leek
100g plant butter, plus a little to make the garnish
50-100ml double cream
salt and white pepper
Method
Pop the potato slices into a saucepan of heavily salted, cold water and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and leave on a gentle boil for around 20 minutes, until the slices fall off the tip of a knife. Drain in a colander.
Put the colander back on the empty pan on the turned-off hob ring, cover the potatoes with a clean tea towel and leave them to steam-dry for 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, slice the leek in half lengthways, then slice along the lengths into thin pieces, keeping the green and white parts separate. We'll use the green parts later for garnish.
Melt the butter in a small saucepan over a low heat and add the white leeks. Leave to cook slowly for 15-20 minutes, until they are soft.
Portion by portion, while still hot, pass the steam-dried potatoes through a sieve or potato ricer into a bowl, or mash with a potato masher.
Tip the softened leeks and all of the melted butter into the mash and, using a rubber spatula, fold them through to evenly combine.
Warm 50ml of the cream in a small saucepan over a low heat just until the cheese has melted. Gradually incorporate the mixture into the mash. If the mash is too thick, warm the remaining cream and add it little by little, as needed, until you have the perfect consistency. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
To serve, simply melt a little more butter in a frying pan over a medium heat. Once the butter is foaming, add the green slices of leek and cook for 2 minutes, until soft. Drizzle this over your mash for a little greenery.