Friday, March 20, 2009

The Best Potato Leek Soup



I've made this soup countless times. It is just one of those recipes that I enjoy making on a regular basis. I made this for a late lunch/snack when we had a girls weekend up in the mountains. I also made for the very first SoupGroup meeting. I've given it out to several people and it has become one of their regular soups.

The soup freezes pretty well. I freeze them in little 2 cups containers leaving a bit a room at the top. When frozen, I top with some bacon pieces.

* 1 pound maple bacon, cut into 1 inch pieces (optional, sub 2 tablespoons butter)
* 3 large leeks, sliced (pale parts only)
* 5 lbs Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cubed
* 1 carton (32 ounces )organic free range chicken broth
* Water to cover
* kosher salt, to taste
* fresh ground black pepper, to taste
* 1 cup half & half or milk

1. Place bacon in large skillet. Render bacon over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain, reserving 3 tablespoons of drippings.

2. Sautee leeks in reserved bacon drippings or butter until soft.

3. Place potatoes and leeks in large stockpot. Add chicken broth (may need some water to cover). Cook until potatoes are tender.
4. Blend soup in until creamy or use potato masher for a chunkier soup. Season with salt and pepper. I prefer the chunkier soup so I usually blend 75% of the soup and then mash the rest.
5. Serve hot with a splash of half and half or milk and top with bacon pieces. It is also delicious without the milk or half & half.

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