Creamy Leek and Potato Soup
Try this hearty creamy leek and potato soup. It's so easy to make and is the perfect comfort food for a cold winter's day.
Ingredients
Main Ingredients
Method
Melt the butter in a large saucepan and fry the shallots (or small onion) over a medium-low heat for 3-4 minutes until softened.
Add the leeks and continue cooking until they have softened.
Add the potatoes and bay leaf and give everything a good stir, then pour in the stock and bring to the boil. Turn down the heat and simmer on low for 25 minutes with the lid on.
When the potatoes are nice and soft remove the bay leaf and blitz with an immersion/stick blender until smooth and there are no lumps.
You can also use a counter top blender, but allow the soup to cool a little so you don't burn yourself
Turn on the heat to low, stir in the cream and season with salt and pepper, keep tasting until your seasoning is perfect.
You can use black pepper but it will add little black flecks to your soup but you can also leave the pepper out completely
Serve the soup with some crusty bread, and - if you want to be fancy - you can also drizzle over a little parsley oil and top with some chunky croutons and a little flat leaf parsley.
About Creamy Leek and Potato Soup
When the nights begin to get longer and the weather colder there is nothing better than a beautiful hearty soup to warm you up, and I think the heartiest of all soups is the classic leek and potato.
For this recipe I've added a bay leaf which adds a bit of warmth, I use fresh from my garden here in the UK which have a subtle almost sweet aroma, however, American varieties can be overpowering, so I'd recommend you use dried bay leaves instead. Either way make sure you remove the bay leaf before you blitz the soup!
You might also notice the addition of 2 shallots which adds a bit more depth, but you can use a small onion instead if you prefer.
Butter vs Oil
For creamy soups I prefer butter as it adds a richer, creamier flavour - it doesn't matter if you use salted or unsalted as you'll be adjusting the seasoning at the end - but you can also use vegetable oil - or other neutral oil - or light olive oil if you prefer. I'd avoid oils with strong flavours like extra virgin olive oil as they might overpower the subtle flavours of the soup.
Prettying It Up
While leek and potato soup tastes great, on it's own it looks a bit boring, so I like to make it look a bit more impressive by topping with some chunky croutons, a little flat leaf parsley and some vibrant parsley oil - simply blitz a good handful of parsley with some olive oil and strain through a fine mesh strainer or cheesecloth. Serve with some rustic, crusty bread and a bit of butter and you've got the perfect winter dish!
How to Store Leek and Potato Soup
Refrigerate
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
To Freeze
If you're planning to freeze your leek and potato soup then avoid adding the cream until you have thawed it out otherwise it could change the texture.
Freeze in a freezer bag or container, leaving some space for the soup to expand.
When ready to use, thaw the soup completely then reheat and add the cream before serving.
Comments (0)