New potatoes and the leeks are fine and ready, and we are still having temperatures in the seventies, so cold potato and leek soup tastes very good indeed. This winter when there are potatoes and leeks in the cellar and snow on the ground, I’ll want my soup to be hot. This recipe from Pat Southard in Howland works both ways.
Pat’s recipe is for cold soup, creamy and thick, hitting on all those notes that make for a delicious bowl full. For once, I actually followed the recipe. Well, except that the recipe called for baking potatoes which I would interpret as russets but since I grow Carola potatoes I used those. Carolas are as good an all-purpose potato as you can find anywhere, good boiled or baked or oven-roasted at 450 degrees as make-believe French fries. They worked just fine in the soup.
I eye-balled the thyme and pepper. That sort of stuff ought to be “added to taste” anyway. Speaking of taste, I added a little horseradish to the soup.
This winter I’ll make this soup hot, perhaps garnish it with bits of fried bacon. It’ll be a fine winter supper.
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 6 cups half-inch cubed potatoes (about 3 medium)
- 2 cups leeks in quarter-inch slices
- 1 ¾ cups, or 1 medium, yellow onion chopped
- 6 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup milk
- ½ cup sour cream
- 1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme, or to taste
- 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
- ½ teaspoon ground pepper, or to taste
- In a large heavy cook pot or Dutch oven, heat the oil over a medium heat.
- Add the potatoes, leeks and onions and cook for about six minutes or until the leeks and onions are tender.
- Stir in the broth and bring to a simmer; cook for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the potatoes are soft.
- Use a potato masher to mash the mixture to the desired consistency.
- Add the milk, sour cream, and thyme, salt and pepper, and bring to a simmer or medium heat.
- Remove from the heat and serve immediately if serving hot. If serving cold, let it cool slightly then transfer to a storage container and chill for at least two hours or overnight.