Vegan potato & leek fondue

I remember the moment when I prepared the so-called “potato cheese”. The recipe was a vegan hit on the internet, and there were those few months when all vegans cooked potatoes with carrots to blend them with nutritional yeast flakes and a few spices. The sticky mixture was … a kind of vegan discovery. Usually, with preparing vegan cheese substitutes you have to put a lot of effort and get sophisticated ingredients. Here, the simplest vegetables become the base. And it is all because of their structure after the blending. I also know a couple of stories about preparing just mashed potatoes with a blender that ended up in a surprise. What happens then? The mixture becomes more fluid, elastic and sticky. In some way, it can be compared to melted cheese, something like the fondue. And it was a memory of such a “failed” puree that prompted me to prepare a vegan fondue, which also refers to another classic: the wonderful potato-leek soup.

The list of the ingredients is short and believe me, it will be really hard to prepare this recipe without cashews and yeast flakes. These mysterious flakes are available in stores with healthy food and on the Internet, where you can get a large package and then use it for various things: as a sprinkle, seasoning or a base for vegan “parmesan”. Yeast flakes are super-healthy and super-tasty. They give the soup its proper flavour.

The following recipe allows you to prepare three smaller portions or one really large (such a “fondue” is great as finger food, to eat together with a few people)

Vegan potato and leek fondue
  • 4 medium potatoes (about 300g)
  • White part of 1 leek (about 150 g)
  • 1 clove of garlic, peeled
  • 1/2 cup of cashews (about 70g)
  • 2 tbsp of rapeseed oil
  • 1 flat tsp of salt
  • 1 tbsp of apple cider vinegar (or 2 tablespoons of lemon juice)
  • 2 tbsp of yeast flakes

    To give it an extra kick (optionally): 1 tsp of white miso or 1 tsp of good mustard

Additionally:

  • pieces of raw carrots, celery, broccoli or other favourite vegetables
  • croutons or a few pieces of good bread

  1. Wash the leek and prepare its white part – cut it into thick slices. At the bottom of the pot, heat the oil, then add a pinch of salt and chopped leek. Fry for about 3 minutes.

  2. In the meantime, prepare the potatoes. Peel them, wash them thoroughly and cut them into small pieces. Add the potatoes and a clove of garlic to the leek, mix everything together.

  3. Add the cashews to the veggies. Pour it all over with hot water so that it covers most of the vegetables. Cover the pot and let it cook for 15-20 minutes.

  4. Blend the cooked vegetables for 2-3 minutes until a smooth, creamy texture. Then add yeast flakes, vinegar and salt. Blend it again for one minute. The whole thing will thicken a bit, especially when heated (because of the potatoes and cashews), so you can add a little water if you like.

It tastes best when heated, with some fresh bread and raw vegetables.

Still hungry?