Baked potato with bacon, taleggio and leek

Ingredients

4 large baking potatoes
1 tbsp olive oil
sea salt
25g/1oz butter
1 shallot, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, finely sliced
2 leeks, sliced lengthways then across into slices
75ml/2½fl oz white wine
300ml/10½fl oz double cream
150g/5½oz taleggio cheese, roughly chopped
8 slices streaky bacon
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

• Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6.
• Rub the potatoes with the olive oil, prick all over with a fork and place onto a little pile of sea salt on a baking tray.
• Place the potatoes on the top shelf of the oven and bake until tender and the skin is crisp, about an hour.
• Remove from the oven and set aside until cool enough to handle.
• Meanwhile, heat a frying pan until medium hot. Add the butter, shallot and garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes, then add the leeks and cook for another two minutes.
• Add the white wine and cook until the volume of liquid has reduced by half. Add the cream and cook for 3-4 minutes, or until thickened. Season, to taste, with salt and black pepper.
• When the potatoes are cool enough, cut them into quarters and place into an ovenproof dish. Pour the leek sauce over the top then add the taleggio pieces.
• Heat a frying pan until hot, add the bacon and cook until golden-brown and crisp.
• Roughly chop the bacon and scatter it over the top of the cheese.
• Place in the oven and bake for 10 minutes, or until golden-brown and bubbling.