Leek and Squash Mini Galettes

A hearty wintry meal, or a savory appetizer for cocktail hour!

Feb 02, 2024

Hello, all! I’m writing to you today from a quick tropical getaway that my husband and I are on to celebrate his birthday (it was a milestone, but I won’t tell you which one!). This was a good time to step away from the hot sun to write to you, so here we are.

I treat writing this newsletter like my job (even on vacation!), because it is. It’s a job that I love, and it’s been heartening to see the Susanality community grow over the past (almost) 3 years. Wow! How time flies. I’ll be thinking of a way to celebrate this milestone as it gets closer. Stay tuned for that.

Before I get to today’s recipe — decadent leek and butternut squash mini galettes with crispy bacon and goat cheese — I wanted to update you on a change in the cadence of Susanality landing in your inbox going forward. Starting this month, free subscribers will receive a new recipe on the first Friday of the month — like today — and partial previews the rest of the month, with the option to upgrade to a paid subscription to access any recipes that pique your interest. You will also have access to all free posts in the Susanality archives, which date back to 2021, and I’ll be sending regular archive round-ups to remind you of the oldies but goodies that you may not have tried, with a little update on what I love about the recipe and why you should try it.

Paid subscribers, many of you weighed in a few months ago that you wouldn’t mind receiving fewer emails from me (we all get too many emails, don’t we?). I’m taking that to heart and focusing my efforts on my Friday missives to you. You’ll still receive the types of content I’ve been sharing in my bimonthly midweek emails — occasional cookbook round-ups, travel notes, video tutorials, giveaways etc. — it will just be folded into my Friday emails rather than shared as separate notes. And don’t worry, the popular In the Rotation and Love Thy Larder series, as well as the treats and sweets I regularly share aren’t going anywhere!

The Cliffs Notes version: Free subscribers will receive one complete recipe instead of two per month going forward, delivered the first Friday of the month. Paid subscribers, I’ll be working my midweek bonus content (book roundups, travel itineraries, video tutorials, etc.) into my weekly Friday emails, rather than sending you those extra notes.

Why the changes? To streamline my workflow and to make the majority of Susanality’s content exclusive to the readers who financially support it. It takes a tremendous amount of time and effort to create recipes and content that I think you’ll love. And developing and testing (and retesting!) recipes, enlisting an editor, and producing video content all takes dough! Substack’s ad-free model means writers like me rely on subscriptions to keep the lights on, so please know that every paid subscription truly matters, is deeply appreciated, and allows me to create more good stuff for you!

Thanks again to ALL of you for being here. And if you have any questions about the changes, reply to this email — it will go straight to me.

OKAY, enough about that — should we move on to today’s recipe?

I’ll keep the story short here since I’ve already taken so much of your time. This is a slightly indulgent recipe that’s perfect for casual entertaining, or, if you’re like Steve and me, you’ll just snarf them up right out of the oven. This savory galette smells incredible while it’s baking and is at its peak just when it comes out — but rest assured that it reheats very well too.

There are a few steps involved, but as I always try to impress upon you, it will feel easy if you spread the work out over a day or two. I always try to make my pastry dough one day ahead, but I’ve also made it just an hour ahead and it turned out fine. This recipe uses a whole bunch of leeks, and I often will prep and wash those a day ahead too, just because it’s kind of a messy job, and I like having them ready to cook. (Here’s a video I shared last year on how to prep, wash, and store leeks).

You can use the pre-peeled squash that is so ubiquitous at the supermarket, if you’d like (it definitely makes things easier!). I used a squash that had been sitting on my table since October, but really, either works. You’ll see that I’m asking you to roast the squash in a separate step — I recommend doing that just before assembling the galette, so you only have to turn on the oven once.

If you want, you can replace half of the flour with a whole-grain flour, like whole wheat or spelt. I tried it that way and loved it, but ended up shooting it with a white flour dough because it looked a bit more appealing. Serve this with a green salad or bring it to a potluck. It’s good at room temperature too! BTW, Steve thought the rosemary was a discordant note, so I promised him I’d make it optional. I’ll let you be the judge!

Tips and Tweaks:

I’ve written this recipe to yield four mini galettes, but you can make this as one large galette if you prefer. For that, roll the dough to a 12- to 14-inch circle and bake for 50 to 60 minutes.
Each mini galette will serve two, or one very hungry person.
Mini galettes can be cut into wedges to serve as a cocktail snack.
Sub whole-wheat flour for half of the all-purpose flour if you want.
Any kind of peeled winter squash (except spaghetti) can be used here, even the pre-peeled kind.
Leek bunches can vary a LOT in their yield, so for the best results, measure the amount needed. Any extra will keep in the fridge for days, and you can use them in eggs, soup, mashed potatoes, etc.
You can skip the egg wash if you want; it’s purely for looks, and to give something for the wheat germ to stick to if you’re using it.
Did you make the Ginger-Date Hobnobs from December? If so, you might have a jar of wheat germ in your fridge. Sprinkling it on the crust adds a nutty crunch that I really liked. (Try it on your cereal or oatmeal too.)

Leek and Butternut Squash Galette

Serves 8

For the crust:

2 cups/256 g all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon sugar
12 tablespoons/170 g cold unsalted butter (1 ½ sticks)
1/4 cup ice water, or more if needed

For the filling:

14 ounces peeled and seeded winter squash, cut into cubes
1 tablespoon olive oil
kosher salt
Freshly ground pepper
3 to 4 slices thick-cut bacon (about 5 ounces), cut into ½-inch pieces
4 cups sliced leeks (about 1 bunch)
4 ounces soft goat cheese
1 egg yolk
1 tablespoon heavy cream or milk
Wheat germ (optional)
Fresh rosemary leaves (optional)

Make the crust: In a food processor, combine flour, salt, and sugar. Pulse until combined. Add butter; pulse until largest pieces of butter are pea-sized. Sprinkle 1/4 cup ice water over flour mixture and pulse until it starts to clump together. Add more ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, as needed. Transfer to a large bowl and knead slightly to mix evenly and bring dough together. Transfer to a sheet of plastic wrap. Wrap tightly and press into a flat disk. Chill until firm, at least 30 minutes, and as long as 2 days ahead.
Divide the dough into quarters. Roll each piece out into a circle about 8 inches in diameter and a little less than ¼-inch thick. Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet and chill. If you want to roll these out further in advance, stack them up on a plate with parchment or wax paper in between, and wrap in plastic.
Heat oven to 425℉. If using a whole squash, peel, seed, and cube it. If your squash was pre-peeled and the chunks are very large, cut them down a little. Toss cubed squash with the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Spread out on a small foil-lined baking sheet and cook for 30 to 35 minutes until softened and starting to brown. Set aside to cool. Reduce oven temperature to 400℉
Cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium-low heat until fat is rendered and edges are beginning to curl and brown, 10-12 minutes. Scoop the bacon out onto a paper towel-lined plate, leaving the fat in the pan.
Add the leeks to the skillet, season with salt and pepper, and cook for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring, until wilted but not browned. Cool slightly and set aside.
Divide the leeks among the 4 dough circles, leaving a 1-inch border all around. Sprinkle the squash and bacon around evenly, and crumble the goat cheese over top.
Fold the edges over the filling, leaving the center open. Beat together the egg yolk and cream or milk, and brush the exposed dough with it. Sprinkle with wheat germ, if using, and sprinkle the rosemary leaves over top, if using. Bake for about 40 minutes, until the crust is deep golden brown.