Thursday, July 29, 2010

Rachel's Herbaceous Potato Leek Soup




I cannot tell you how much I love soup. It is one of my favorite dishes and it can be quite filling and healthy for you. One of my all time favorites is potato leek soup. I was walking through a farmers market the other day and they had some beautiful fresh leeks. So of course I knew what I had to make. My husband Brandon thought it was the best soup I have ever made. I totally agree. It is full of flavorful herbs like dill and thyme and the leeks are a subtle and delicious companion to the potatoes. A healthy trick to this recipe is to puree half of the mixture and add it back to the soup before serving. It gives it a creamy texture without having to add any cream or milk.

I tried doing this soup differently than I usually do and it turned out great. Generally when making potato soup the potatoes are often simmered with the rest of the vegetables in the cooking broth until they are fully cooked. This seems to take a little longer than when you cook them by themselves and often the potatoes take longer than the other vegetables or vice versa so you then have some vegetable that are just right and some that are overcooked. In this recipe I used a two pot method which allowed me to evenly cook the potatoes and leeks until they were just right, I then added them to the broth.



Rachel's Herbaceous Potato Leek Soup

Prep time: 15-20 minutes
Cook time: 25 minutes
Serves 4


Ingredients:

3 medium/large potatoes cut into small pieces – there is no need for an exact measurement
3 leaks trimmed, finely sliced and rinsed thoroughly
2 tbs unsalted butter or olive oil
7 cups vegetable or chicken broth
1tsp kosher salt – plus extra for boiling the potatoes
½ tsp fresh ground pepper
1 tsp each of Tarragon, Dill and Thyme

Directions:
For the potatoes – fill a large pot with water8-10 cups water, add potatoes and 1 kosher salt tablespoon salt; bring to boil. Cook potatoes until tender 15-20 minutes. Drain and set aside in a covered pot.
While the potatoes are cooking, in a separate large soup pot, add butter and sauté leeks until tender – about 2-3 minutes. Add broth and rest of seasonings. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Add potatoes and cook another 3 minutes. Remove from heat. Ladle half of the soup mixture into a blender and puree. Add back to the main soup pot; stir well. Serve in separate bowls with a dollop of sour cream and sliced green onions (if desired). Enjoy! Happy eating! Rachel 

2 comments:

Nobody said...

Curious to see what this soup looks like, do you got pics? :)

God Bless ~Amy

Rachel Blair said...

yes, I do! It just took me a bit to locate them.