In the past, when I have bought leeks, they have sat in my refrigerator until they turned brown, moldy and emitted a disgusting juice that my husband would clean up. That’s the not-so-pretty truth. I’ve wanted to try them, have bought them and then haven’t done a thing with them. Sad, but true.

Until now, that is.

The worst part isn’t that I let produce sit in the refrigerator until it rotted. No, sir, though that is a bad thing in of itself. The worst part is that when I finally make them, I discovered that I really like leeks. Go figure. They have a somewhat sweet flavor with a mild onion-y flavor. It’s more of a hint of onion flavor, really. Mmmm.

I wasn’t sure how to cook them, so I stuck with an old standby: roasting. This ultra-simple preparation really lets the natural flavors of vegetables shine. The result was fantastic and worth the effort. I can’t wait to try leeks in other dishes now!

Roasted Parmesan Leeks
serves 4

4 leeks, tough outer leaves removed
1 tbsp olive oil
sea salt
1/4 cup grated Parmesan

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Cut leeks into 2 inch pieces and split down the middle. Place in a water bath to remove dirt.

Remove leeks to an oven safe pan, shaking excess water (you want them to retain some of the water though).

Drizzle with olive oil and salt. Place in oven and cook for 30 minutes.

Toss leeks. Top with Parmesan and cook for another 15 minutes.

Serve immediately.

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Since leeks are an ultra-healthy vegetable that is believed to help prevent ailments like cancer, this is a perfect submission for Sweetnicks’ ARF/5-A-Day Tuesdays.