Cold weather is a lot less charming in January. I was still scraping ice off my windshield in December but I was significantly less upset about it. This time of year demands the kind of soup that an Irishman would cook in a wool sweater.
This is that kind of soup, assuming that Irishman owns an immersion blender. Like most soups, this recipe takes a bit of time, but the labor involved is pretty minimal. I made this on a weeknight and surprisingly did not regret that decision.
Cook time:
80-90 min
Ingredients:
2 Leeks
1 lb of Potatoes
1 qt of Chicken/Vegetable broth
2 Shallots, minced
4 tablespoons of Butter
2 cloves of Garlic, minced
Heavy cream for garnish
Croutons for garnish
Seasonings: Garlic Salt, Pepper, thyme, oregano, nutmeg
Directions:
Cut the potatoes into half-inch cubes. Place them in a larger bowl and fill the bowl with water until the water line is just above the potatoes. Cover and set in the refrigerator.
Dice your leeks. If you are like me and have not diced leeks before, here is a link on how to do it.
Heat a Dutch oven or a pot with a lid to medium heat. Drop your half stick of butter in, and once it has melted add your leeks, shallots, and garlic. Season with garlic salt, pepper, thyme, and oregano.
Once your veggies have started to brown, add the potatoes to the pot but keep the starch water for later. Add your broth to the pot as well. The broth should just barely cover the potatoes, if it does not add more broth/water.
Bring the mixture to a boil. Once it starts boiling, reduce to low heat and simmer for about 30 minutes.
Add the starch water to the pot. If you have an immersion blender, blend the soup until everything is nice and smooth. If you do not have one, this soup can be eaten more like a chowder as well.
Taste to see if additional seasoning is needed. Simmer for another 5 minutes.
Serve topped with heavy cream, nutmeg, and croutons.
Erica’s Review:
“The potato and leek soup was so delicious. The perfect cozy winter evening soup. Thanks to the immersion blender Jake got from his sister for his birthday the texture of this soup was so smooth. Would absolutely eat this again!!”
Recipe I ripped off:
https://saltandwind.com/classic-potato-leek-soup-recipe/#recipe
Lots of cold days for this! I have never chopped leeks :). Again beautiful photograph.