Mashed Potatoes with Leek Egg Cheese Sauce (Welsh Anglesey Egg)

Anglesey eggs might not look the prettiest dish on the block but believe me, it has one of the best flavours with its bed of soft mashed potatoes and hard-boiled eggs all smothered in a thick creamy leek and cheese sauce. This delicious Welsh recipe is perfect for vegetarians as a dish on its own, or the Anglesey eggs can be teamed up with meats and a particularly good match is with grilled bacon chops. Anglesey eggs come from Anglesey, a large island reaching out into the Irish sea separated from North Wales by the Menai Strait.

Mashed Potatoes:
1 lb potatoes, peeled and quartered (900 g)
3 Tbsp. milk
2 oz butter, cubed (55 g)
sea salt
black pepper, freshly ground

Leek, Egg and Cheese Sauce:
1 oz butter
2 large leeks, washed, finely sliced
1 cup milk
1 Tbsp. all-purpose flour, unbleached
3 oz cheddar cheese, grated
4 eggs, hard-boiled, peeled and quartered
3 Tbsp. breadcrumbs
sea salt
black pepper, freshly ground

Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C, Gas Mark 6).

Mashed Potatoes:
Put the quartered potatoes into a pan of cold water, add a pinch of salt, and bring to the boil. Once boiling lower the heat, cover with a lid and simmer for approximately 15 minutes or until the potatoes are cooked through and soft when pierced with a sharp knife. Drain the potatoes in a colander and put to one side.

Place the milk and butter in the pan used to boil the potatoes, return the pan to the heat, and warm gently until the butter has melted into the milk. Add the potatoes and mash using either a potato masher, a fork, or a potato ricer. Whip the mashed potato lightly with a wooden spoon. Season with salt and pepper to your taste.

Leek, Egg and Cheese Sauce:
Melt 1 oz (25 g) butter in a large, roomy frying pan. Add the finely sliced leeks, season generously with salt and a little pepper. Cook for 5 mins on medium heat until the leeks are just beginning to soften, take care to not burn.

Raise the heat slightly, stir in the flour, cook for 2 minutes stirring continuously. Still stirring, slowly add the milk, continue to cook for about 2 minutes to make a thick, creamy sauce. Simmer on a low heat for 5 minutes then add half the cheese, stir then check the seasoning.

Generously butter an oven-proof dish, deep enough to take all the ingredients, but not too wide, you want thick layers of potatoes and sauce. Firstly add the mashed potatoes, spread to cover the base of the dish in a thick layer. Neatly arrange the egg quarters gently pushing each into the soft mashed potatoes. Pour the leek sauce over.

Mix the remaining cheese with the breadcrumbs and sprinkle over the sauce.

Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes or until bubbling and a golden-brown crust on top.

Serve as a dish on its own or as a side dish for meats, particularly delicious with bacon chops.

Makes 2 servings.