Potato-Leek Gratin

FOUND IT: In Mark Bittman's Food Matters Cookbook.

We're all familiar with the usual way to make potatoes good: Slather them in butter, cheese, or something else loaded with extra fat. This recipe is simple and pretty good despite the fact that it uses a relatively low amount of those extras.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 lbs potatoes, thinly sliced (I used Yukon Golds)
• 1 lb leeks, trimmed, rinsed well and thinly sliced (you could probably use onions if you don't have leeks)
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• Dried thyme
• 1 cup bread crumbs
• 2 tbsp melted butter

Put the potatoes and leeks in a 9x13 baking dish and toss them with the oil. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and thyme, then cover with foil and bake at 375 for 30-40 minutes, until the potatoes are just starting to get tender.

Remove from the oven at this point and give them a quick stir. Then, combine the melted butter and bread crumbs, and crumble this mixture over the top. Press everything down a bit and return to the oven without foil at 425 for 15-20 more minutes, or until the bread crumbs have browned.