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Friday, October 15, 2010

Potato Leek Soup

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This soup reminds me of creamy garlic mashed potatoes in the form of soup.  A deliciously simple soup that is satisfying on its own with a sprinkling of chives or green onions and a handful of garlic croutons or it can be jazzed up by adding broccoli at the same time as the potatoes to make Potato Broccoli soup and grated cheddar cheese at the same time as the cream and make it a Potato Broccoli Cheese Soup. 

I used a hand held immersion blender to puree the soup (but not everyone has one).  Your other options are to puree in a food processor or a blender in batches.  And if you don’t have any of those gadgets, a potato masher will also work leaving behind a few lumps, which is not necessarily a bad thing.

POTATO LEEK SOUP
2          Tbsp.               butter
1          cup                  leeks, chopped
1          clove               garlic, minced
1 ½      pounds            russet potatoes, peeled and diced
1          14oz.               chicken broth
2 ½      cups                water
2          tsp.                  kosher salt
¼         tsp.                  white pepper
2          cups                half and half


To clean the leaks; cut the dark green leafy part and the root away and discard.  Only use the white and light green parts closer to the root.  Slice each stalk in half or quarters (if large) lengthwise and slice thinly into small pieces.  Place in a bowl of cold water to allow the sand to fall to the bottom.  Lift the leeks out of the water with your hands or a slotted spoon and drain well.

Cook leeks and garlic in butter over med low heat; cook till leeks are soft, don’t let them brown or your soup will have an off color.

When the leeks are soft add the potatoes, chicken broth, water, salt and pepper.  Bring to a boil then lower heat and cover.  Let simmer for 30 minutes.

When the potatoes are very soft remove the soup from the heat and puree with an immersion blender (this is the easiest way) or place the solids in a food processor to puree.

Stir in the half and half and garnish with chopped chives or seasoned croutons.  This soup can be eaten hot or cold.

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