INSTRUCTIONS
Top and tail the leeks then wash and slice them into 1cm thick circles. In a suitable non-stick pan, heat the butter until bubbling and add the sliced leeks and garlic. Season with a little salt and pepper and gently sweat for 10 minutes without colouring. Into another pan pour the beer and add the 1/2 chicken stock cube. Bring to a simmer.
Meanwhile, peel the potatoes and slice thinly (1 mm) which, you can do with a sharp knife or with a mandolin. You will now need a shallow ovenproof dish, approx. 12 inches in diameter and 1 1/2 in deep. Rub a little butter around the inside and place a layer of potato in the bottom. Now spread over a third of the leek and season with black pepper. Add another layer of potato followed by the leek and pepper. Repeat this again with the last of the leek and finally top with another layer of potato. If you run out of potato, just peel and slice some more.
Finally press down the layers to remove excess gaps and pour over the hot beer stock until you can just see it coming up to the top layer of potato. Do not cover the top layer as there will be too much liquid for the potatoes to absorb. If you run out of beer stock add a little hot water. Cover the dish tightly with tin foil, which has been buttered on the inside and cook in the oven for 45 minutes at 200oC.
After this time, remove the dish from the oven and using a sharp knife, check that the potato has cooked. Now either brush the top layer of potato with melted butter or sprinkle with grated cheese. Place back into the oven for ten minutes until the potato has browned or the cheese is bubbling.
