Leek and potato soup

Leek and potato have their own delicious merits as separate vegetables, but put them together and blend them up in a soup, and you have culinary kismet. Another cool, lingering winter day afforded us a nice opportunity to whip up this quick and easy soup.

Recipe

from Once Upon a Chef
Serves 6

3 tbsp butter
4 large leeks, white and light green parts only, roughly chopped
6 cloves garlic, chopped
2 lbs Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and roughly chopped
7 cups chicken or vegetable broth
2 bay leaves
3 sprigs fresh thyme
1 tsp salt
¼ tsp ground black pepper
1 cup heavy cream
fresh chives, finely chopped

Place a large stockpot over medium heat and melt butter. Add leeks and garlic and cook until soft and wilted, stirring regularly. Add the potatoes, broth, bay leaves, thyme, salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Cover and turn down the heat to low. Simmer for 15 minutes, or until potatoes are soft. Fish out the thyme and bay leaves, then purée soup with hand-held immersion blender until smooth. Stir in heavy cream and warm through. Taste and adjust seasoning to taste. Garnish with chives.

Musings

Delightfully simple and straightforward to make and also very delicious--creamy and flavourful! We only happened to have 3 leeks on hand, which still tasted good, so a fourth leek would add even more leek-y goodness. I, unsurprisingly, decided to sprinkle a bit of goat cheese over top, which can only enhance (really every dish).