Looking for a nice cozy lunch or light dinner? All you need to do is grab a few leeks. You probably have everything else in your pantry right now to make our Classic Potato Leek Soup, or potage parmentier. Feel a little bit fancy feeding your crew a French classic. An essential base soup in French cuisine, add watercress for potage au cresson, serve it chilled for Vichyssoise, or top it with bacon, fried leeks, fresh herbs, or diced vegetables. There are endless variations.
Serve with some of our crusty and delicious Artisan Breads from St Malo's, Bread Basket, Bill's Organic Bakery or Artisan Bake Distribution for a perfect winter meal.
What You Need
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 large leeks, white and light green parts only, roughly chopped (about 5 cups)
3 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
1 Kg potatoes, peeled and roughly chopped into ½-inch pieces
7 cups chicken or vegetable broth
2 bay leaves
3 sprigs fresh thyme
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 cup heavy cream
Chives, parsley or other herbs, finely chopped, for serving
Salt and freshly cracked pepper to taste.
What to Do:
Melt the butter over medium heat in a large soup pot. Add the leeks and garlic, stirring regularly until soft and wilted (not browned), about 10 minutes.
Add the potatoes, broth, bay leaves, thyme, salt and pepper to pot and bring to a boil. Cover and turn the heat down to low. Simmer for 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are very soft.
Remove the thyme sprig and bay leaves. Purée the soup with a hand-held blender (or similar) until smooth. Add the heavy cream and bring to a simmer (reserve 1-2 Tbsp of cream to drizzle on top of the bowls to serve if desired). Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. If soup is too thin, simmer until thickened. If it's too thick, add water or stock to thin it out. Garnish with fresh herbs, bacon, cream, etc as desired.
Serve in a pretty bowl to brighten up your day.
Recipe from Once Upon a Chef
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