Soup is something I can eat anytime of year. I just love it! Lately though, I’ve had a lot of urges for potato soup. Whenever I’ve been out in the city and feel like having soup, the first thing I check is to see what kind of potato soup is on the menu I’ve had all varieties – potato four cheese (YUM!), potato bacon, potato cheddar broccoli and lastly potato leek. All really good but the one I chose to make at home was the potato leek version. It’s still potato soup but I was trying to go for the healthier version (if there really is such a thing!)
I started off with 3 stalks of leeks and cut the bottom off as well as the dark green section.
Cut across each leek to get little rounds. Once they’re all cut put them in a bowl of cold water and swish it around a bit. A lot of dirt gets caught in the leaves and you definitely don’t want that in your soup.
After the leeks have soaked for a couple of minutes, take them out and dry them off on a paper towel.
In a pot, heat up 2 tablespoons of olive oil and 2 tablespoons of butter. Once the butter is melted, put in the leeks and let them cook down for a few minutes. You don’t want them to get brown. Sprinkle with a pinch of kosher salt.
Now it’s time to get the potatoes ready. I used 6 medium sized Yukon gold potatoes for this recipe.
Cut the potatoes into chunks and then add them to the pot of leeks. Mix around and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
After the potatoes have been in the pot for a few minutes, I then added the stock. I use Chicken stock but feel free to use vegetable stock instead. I put enough to cover the potatoes and leeks (about 3 cups) but kept extra on hand for later if it gets too thick.
After the soup cooks for a while and the potatoes are soft – between 30 and 45 minutes, I take my immersion blender and whiz the whole thing up to smooth it out directly in the pot. If you don’t have an immersion blender you can use a regular blender Just make sure you do it in batches and be careful to not only put a cover on the blender but a towel as well. Hot liquids expand and I wouldn’t want you to burn yourself!
At this point check to see how thick it is. If it’s too thick you can add more stock. To make it creamy, you can add some half and half or milk – 1/4 to 1/2 cup. Just eyeball it depending how thin and creamy you want it. Let cook for a few more minutes and taste to see if it needs more salt or pepper. If you’re not going to like seeing black specs in your soup you can use white pepper instead.
For a garnish, I added some chopped chives.
Time to serve it up! The day I made this there was a snowstorm so it was perfect timing. It tasted so warm and comforting after an afternoon of sledding in the cold snow.
I’m not normally a leftovers fan but I was certainly happy to have this soup leftover for lunch the next day!
Potato Leek Soup Ingredient List:
3 stalks of leeks
6 medium Yukon Gold Potatoes
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
At least 4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1/4 to 1/2 cup half and half or milk (optional)
Salt and Pepper to taste
chopped chives for garnish
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Do you like potato soup? What’s your favorite? If you like this recipe, feel free to share it!
I’m gonna try this next week. Yummm
Let me know how it goes!
I suppose that depneds on where you live. You could buy some better established plants and you could get a decent amount of tomatoes, peppers or cucumbers. I am growing all of these upside down in pots right now. Potatoes are a good bet. Do a search of potato and tire garden. It is where you plant in one tire. As it grows, you add another tire and dirt.