When fall’s crisp air sets a chill running through you, there’s one surefire way to combat the cold: soup! A hearty soup like potato leek can warm you up from the inside out, and this easy-to-make, delicious recipe is one you’re sure to keep handy all season long.
Whether chunky or creamy, hot potato and leek soup is a great meal on a cold day!
Photo Credit: Mary Moore
Start with leeks and potatoes from your kitchen garden (or your local farmers’ market). Pick leeks with long, white stems because this is the part you’ll use in cooking.
Photo Credit: Mary Moore
Be careful when dicing potatoes – they’re naturally slippery.
Photo Credit: Mary Moore
Sauté the leeks in butter only until they’re soft. Unlike onions, leeks don’t tend to caramelize and will burn if you cook them too long.
Photo Credit: Mary Moore
There aren’t a lot of ingredients to this soup, but you can play with them a bit to get the flavor you’re really looking for. For example, leeks have a mild, onion-like taste that adds a great flavor to soups (but if you prefer, you can always use onions instead). The type of potato you pick will also have an impact on the recipe: For a chunky soup with firm potatoes, pick something like Yukon Gold or Red Cloud. For a thicker soup, use a starchier potato like russets.
Potato Leek Soup
Ingredients
- 2-3 leeks
- 4 medium potatoes
- ¼ cup butter
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 2 cups water
- 1/16 tablespoon mace (adjust to taste)
- salt and pepper (to taste)
- ¼ cup milk
- 1 tablespoon flour
Directions
- Wash the leeks (very thoroughly, as sand tends to get inside the base of the leaves) and remove the roots and green leaves. Quarter the leeks lengthwise, then cut into 1-inch pieces. Wash, peel and dice potatoes into 1-inch cubes.
- In a 3-quart saucepan, melt butter and sauté leeks until tender, but not brown. Add potatoes, chicken broth, water, mace, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then lower the temperature, cover saucepan and simmer for 50 minutes (or until potatoes are tender).
- Cool a spoonful, and give your soup the old taste test. Does it need any additional spices? Do you like your soup thicker? If so, combine the milk and flour in a small bowl, stirring until the flour has dissolved. Add the milk-flour mixture to the soup, then simmer for another 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. If the soup is already thick enough, just add the milk to the soup and simmer for about 5 minutes.
- If you prefer your soup creamy, transfer it to a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Serve right away or store in the refrigerator. To reheat, use either a microwave or a double boiler to prevent the soup from burning (and stir frequently).
The great thing about this recipe is that you can easily change it to fit your tastes or reflect what’s available in your garden. Mix up the onions and the leeks, use whatever potatoes are ready in your garden, add in some carrots if you like – or even cauliflower. (Just make sure your veggies are fully cooked before serving.)
So the next time a cold chill blows through you, head for your stovetop and think soup. Because nothing can quite warm you up like a steaming bowl of soup on a crisp fall or blustery winter day – and nothing’s more satisfying than using ingredients you’ve grown yourself.
