Chicory Rolls Au Gratin | Witloofrolletjes | Belgian | Vegan

Hello my lovelies! This is a dish that my SO Koen cooks in our household and I recall the first time he cooked it for us and just how much I enjoyed it. It is a simple hearty dish that fills that void you sometimes feel when you miss your parents cooking. I asked Koen if he could cook this dish while I take notes and pictures and he happily agreed!

What you need for the chicory rolls:

4 chicories

12 slices of vegan smoky ham free slices (3 for each chicory)

1/2 tsp white pepper

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp sugar (optional in case you find the chicory bitter)

Vegan butter for frying

Water for boiling

What you need for the mash potatoes:

2 baked potatoes

1 dl (0,4 cup) vegan cream

2 tbsp vegan butter

A pinch of salt and white pepper

Water for boiling

What you need for the bechamel sauce:

6 dl (2,4 cups) vegan cream

200g sliced vegan cheese

1 vegetable stock cube

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/3 tsp white pepper

1/2 tsp salt

Begin with rinsing and scooping out the stem of the chicory do keep in mind that it's only the centre otherwise the leaves will release and come off.

In a pan add vegan butter and allow it to melt, once melted the chicory and cover them with water. Enough to cover about 2/3 of them. Pop on a lid and once it's boiling bring the heat to medium high and cook for about 20-30 minutes.

Once they are easy to pierce through we will drain the chicory from all liquids. Allow the chicory to drain in the pan making sure the pan is placed tilted. Remove the chicory from the pan and place them on a plate for now

Pop the pan back on the stove and add vegan butter as we are now going to get frying. Once the pan is brought to medium high heat pop in the chicory and season them with sugar, salt, white pepper and nutmeg. The seasoned side should be facing the surface of the pan as this will bring out a lovely flavour and give a great colour.

Do this step on each side.

While the chicory is frying we will preheat our oven to 200℃ (395℉)

We will also ready our pot with enough water to boil our potatoes, bring it to a boil and reduce to medium high heat. Peel and dice the potatoes as this reduces the cooking time and transfer them into the pot. They should be ready in about 15-20 minutes.

Once the chicory have gotten a nice colour set them aside to cool a bit while we make our bechamel sauce. In a pot add the cream, vegan cheese, vegetable stock cube, nutmeg, white pepper and salt. Stir while it's being brought to heat on medium high.

The bechamel sauce will thicken and once it has set it aside.

If it isn't thick enough you can always make a roux by adding 1 tbsp flour to 2 tbsp water in a jar and give it a shake. Pour the roux into the bechamel sauce and stir until it thickens.

Now moving back to our chicory, on a flat surface place 3-4 slices of vegan ham they should be overlapping as we are going to roll them around our chicories. Once they are rolled pop them into an ovenproof pan and pour the bechamel sauce over.

Place them into the middle of the oven under the grill for about 10-15 minutes. There should be a nice golden surface on the bechamel sauce.

While that's in the oven we will mash our potatoes, first drain them then using the same pot they were boiled in pour in the potatoes. Pour in the vegan butter and season with salt and white pepper. Mash them using a potato masher and once mashed pour in vegan cream and fold it into the mash until it looks smooth.

Now it's ready to serve!