Caerphilly, carrot dip & vadouvan leeks

Serves 4

FOR THE BRAISED LEEKS
130g salted butter
2 teaspoons vadouvan spice
200g shredded leeks

FOR THE CARROT DIP
1 sweet potato
3 carrots, peeled and roughly
chopped
100g red lentils
salt and pepper

TO ASSEMBLE
4 thin sourdough bread slices
olive oil
140g Caerphilly cheese
(or a tangy territorial cheese,
see note)
pinch of garam masala

This dish uses one of my favourite cheeses – Caerphilly. I’m not talking about those bland plastic-wrapped Caerphillies that supermarkets sell. I’m talking about traditional Caerphilly with a velvet grey rind, crumbly centre, and delicious fudgy texture just beneath the rind. Vadouvan is a French-Indian spice blend. It has all the spices you’d expect from curry powder but also shallot and garlic. You can find it in Waitrose or online, or replace it with a mild curry powder.

To make the braised leeks

• Melt the butter in a pan over a low heat and add the vadouvan spice.
Once the butter is fragrant, add the leeks and cook over a low heat to braise for 45 minutes until the butter has lightly browned and the leeks are softly stewed. Allow to cool and put aside for later.

To make the carrot dip
• Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F), Gas Mark 6.
• Wrap the sweet potato in aluminium foil and bake in the oven for 45–50 minutes until soft. Once cooked, unwrap and peel off the skin.
• Meanwhile, bring a pan of water to the boil. Add the carrots and boil for 10–15 minutes or until soft. Drain and set aside.
• Bring 300ml water to the boil. Add the lentils and cook as per the instructions on the packet, then drain.
• Put everything in a blender and blend until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

To assemble the dish
• Preheat the grill to high.
• Prepare the crispbreads by drizzling the sourdough slices with olive oil and placing under the hot grill for 2 minutes on each side until golden brown.
• On a serving plate, smear the carrot dip in a consistent layer. Add the braised leeks on top of the carrot. Crumble the Caerphilly over the top of the dish (including the rind) and add a pinch of garam masala scattered over. Serve with the crispbreads.

Note: We use Gorwydd Caerphilly, but Cheshire or Wensleydale would also work.