In my CSA box that arrived this morning, I found, among other things, a pair of leeks! I’ve never made potato leek soup before, but these leeks are just begging to be made into delicious soup. So please, if you have a favorite recipe, share it here! Stove top or crockpot, vegan or not (we’re not vegan but I totally steal vegan recipes if they sound good), it’s all good!
This isn’t much of a recipe. I slice the white part of the leeks thinly and shred about an equal amount of potatoes. Then I simmer the leeks and potatoes in chicken stock until the vegetables dissolve. After cooking, I add milk, then season to taste with salt and white pepper.
BTW, it really works best to add the milk at the end. If you put it in at the beginning it will scorch and stick to the bottom of the pot.
I do much the same thing although I fry everything in butter briefly before adding the stock. I usually include chopped garlic and some shredded carrot for sweetness. Sometimes I add grated cheese at the end depending on what’s on hand. At various times I have added parsley or dill or thyme, even a bay leaf.
I pretty much use leeks and onions interchangeably in potato soups. The leeks give a milder flavor.
That’s true you can always swap leeks and various varieties of onions in anything for very distinctive flavors. I always say that the leek is the onion’s sightly smarter half-brother.
This is correct - you have to saute the veg to get the Maillard reaction going. You can add milk or cream or sour cream. I’ve also thickened/creamified it by cooking some rice with the veg - it disintegrates completely in the blender and adds a smoothness to the result.
If you haven’t got a stick blender, get one! Pureeing soups is so much easier if you can do it right in the pot.
I’d suggest you try a gratin of leeks as an alternative. We have potato leek soup at home almost weekly but the gratin with some good Gruyere is delicious. I use Jacques Pepins’ recipe.