getting lucky.

in my mind’s eye, the ideal potluck is a creative feast of dishes, savory & sweet, colorful & fresh – an opportunity to dazzle your people with something new or something familiar & completely delicious.  in reality, potlucks were pretty much ruined for me by my liberal arts college experience.  the table was inevitably covered with crocks of bland curried lentils, pots of mushy black beans & bags of tortilla chips with too-garlicky humus.  lots & lots of humus.  fast forward to having a kid in elementary school.  in berkeley.  exactly.  so here is my legume-free contribution to the table – a savory bread pudding with leeks, bacon & rainbow chard.  namaste.

bread pudding with leeks, bacon & chard (serves 8)
2 T butter, room temperature
1 loaf crusty bread (preferably day-old), cut into 1”-cubes
8 oz. bacon, about 5 slices (preferably thick-cut)
olive oil
3 leeks, white & light green parts only, thinly sliced
2 bunches chard, stemmed & chopped
1 C gruyere, grated
1 ¼ C parmesan, grated
salt & pepper
2 C milk
4 eggs

preheat oven to 400 degrees.

grease a 9″ x 13″ (or thereabouts) baking dish with the softened butter.  set aside.

add bread to a large mixing bowl.  set aside.

coarsely chop bacon & fry over medium heat until fat is rendered & bacon is crisp.  drain bacon & add to bread.

add olive oil to a sauté pan over medium heat.  add leeks, stirring frequently, until caramelized.  add to bread.  add more olive oil to the pan & over medium heat, add chard & sauté briefly until just wilted.  add to bread mixture.  

add gruyere & 1 C parmesan to bread, bacon & greens.  stir until everything is well incorporated (i use my hands).  season with salt & pepper to taste.

warm milk in a saucepan over low heat & while milk is warming, whisk eggs in a bowl.  slowly drizzle milk into the eggs while whisking constantly.  pour half of this over bread & toss gently (again, i use my hands).

spoon bread mixture into the iron skillet.  pour remaining egg & milk over the top.  sprinkle with remaining parmesan.

bake for about 30 minutes or until the top is nicely browned with crispy bits.