Sunday Soups: A Comforting Bowl of Potato Leek Creaminess

As the weather finally turns cold and blustery in a way that seems to want to stick around for the rest of the winter (farewell,  60 degree days, see you in March), soup season officially begins.

For our family, Sunday is the perfect soup day. One reason is that after restocking the fridge at the farmers market on Saturday, on Sunday, I try to use up a lot of stuff left over from the week before. Clean-the-fridge soup is definitely the silent subtitle of every single Sunday soup recipe I'll be posting, which I hope will give you perfect freedom to use that wilted stalk of celery and those soft and wizened carrots. You can bet I will be doing the same.

Another reason I like to make soup on Sunday is that by the time weekend wanes, I'm exhausted from all the running around family time, and seeing friends time, and weekend projects time and whatever else it is we pack into those two hectic days. By Sunday, I just want quiet, easy, soothing food that warms my bones and pats me on the cheek in a there-there kind of way. Soup does this.

Anyway in thinking about all of this, I decided to launch a weekly blog post dedicated to whatever soup I made on Sunday. This means I will be planning on posting a soup recipe every week, all winter long. And if you feel like sharing, I'd love to know what soup you made this week too, if any.

Then when the temperature rises and the lettuces and ramps and asparagus starts to emerge, I'll put away my soup pot and kick off a Sunday Salads series or something like that. Ah, the fleeting, bittersweetness of seasonal cooking. Here today, gone tomorrow.

With no further ado, here is my recipe for Potato Leek Soup to get things going.  It’s one of the most satisfying and simplest soup recipes imaginable, calling for just three basic ingredients—potatoes, leeks, and good stock.  Okay, no…four in fact, because I like to use a generous amount of butter when I sauté the leeks.  I’ve been known to use a whole stick of good butter (you can use much less if you want), but the real trick to spectular potato leek soup is to brown the heck out of the leeks.  It’s ok if there are still some pretty, light green bits here and there, but golden leeks will contribute beautiful depth and layers of flavor to an otherwise uncomplicated soup. If you don't take the time to do this (and I'm talking about a solid 6 mintues), you risk blah soup, and there's really no need in your life for blah soup, right?

The last time I made this Potato Leek Soup I happened to have leftover turkey stock from Thanksgiving, but any variety of quality stock will do. Or use water and just add plenty of salt and a bay leaf to the pot (and lots of butter, you'll need it). I’ll occasionally throw in a stray parsnip, celery root, or turnip into the mix (remember, it's really clean-out-the fridge soup).  So feel free to do the same. I also love to add a really substantial amount of freshly ground black pepper—against the starchy richness it packs a welcome wallop. 

Then, as you can see in the photo, I finish the soup with a drizzle of olive oil and some moist flaky red pepper, in this case Turkish red pepper. You can skip it, or use flaky sea salt or crushed red pepper flakes instead. Or if you want to get fancy, snip some chives on the top and garnish the soup with a little dollop of creme fraiche. Then you will have achieved dinner party soup.

Also of note: I puree my soup with an immersion blender. Sometimes I strive for something perfectly smooth and velvety. Sometimes I leave lots of chunks. The choice is yours.

Potato Leek Soup

Serves 4 to 6

4 medium leeks or 2 giant ones

At least 2 tablespoons butter, sometimes I use up to 8, olive oil works too

Salt and pepper

4 large yukon gold potatoes, peeled or not

1 quart stock or water (add a bay leaf if you're using water, don't forget to remove it before pureeing)

Good olive oil and Turkish or crushed red pepper for finishing if you like

 

1. Clean the leeks by chopping off the dark green stems (leave the white and an inch or two of the light green). Split the leeks down the center vertically to expose all the soil trapped in the layers. Rinse well under running water. Thinly slice the leeks discarding the hairy root.

2. In a soup pot, melt the butter or heat the oil. Add the leeks and saute until golden brown all over, about 6 to 8 minutes.

3. While the leeks are cooking, slice up the potatoes.

4. Season leeks with a good pinch of salt and some pepper and add the potato slices. Add the stock or water. It should cover the veggies by at least 1/2-inch. If not, add more water. Bring to a simmer and partially cover the pot. When the potatoes are tender, about 20 to 30 minutes later, puree the soup.  If it's too thick, thin it down with water or stock or cream. Taste and add more salt and pepper. If the soup tastes bland because you used water or dull stock, you can perk it up by adding some grated parmesan cheese, or some soy sauce, or a squeeze of lemon juice, or all of the above.

5. Serve plain or garnished with olive oil and red pepper.

Comments

[Ann Alpern]

I just made potato-leek soup Saturday. I wish I knew the butter move...next time. I love soups on the weekend so keep them coming

[Omar]

Many thanks in advance, to you, Melissa! I love the idea of a different soup recipe from you on a weekly basis during these cold months ahead (which I personally love).

I just bought leeks to make a potato soup but hadn't decided on a recipe, I will definitely be making this one and will be topping it with my beloved Aleppo Pepper.

[Vicki]

I love cauliflower soup this time of year like the one I tasted in Paris a few years back. It's simple but flavorful made from a leek, olive oil, cauliflower, chicken stock, salt and juice of a lemon. I like to garnish it with piment d'Espelette and homemade croutons.

[Melissa]

Vicki - I made cauliflower last night! Wish I had read this before I just roasted it, I love the sound of your soup. Will definitely make the rotation!

Omar & Ann - Thanks, I am really looking forward to the winter of many soups.

[PeterG]

I just had success with leek-parsnip soup, substituting a couple of parsnips for 3/4 of the potatoes in a recipe scaled like the above. Also added a little ginger and coriander to the mix.

[Stephanie @ okie dokie artichokie]

I love soups for that very reason: that you can just about add anything to it and know it will taste good. Even better on Sundays when all I want to do is stay inside (especially in the winter) with my pajamas on all day and have something slowly bubbling away on the stove. I once made a leek and shittake mushroom soup with scraps I had leftover in my fridge and I was delighted at how rich and earthy the whole thing turned out. It was so good!

[Fairmountmarket.blogspot.com]

I recently made a variant of leek and potato soup to which I added roasted beets that gave the soup a delicious, sweet depth and outrageously gorgeous magenta color. I combined some of the tender beet greens with fresh ginger in a pesto garnish. I look forward to reading more of your soup recipes!

[Omar]

Just wanted to come back and say, "yum, yum and yum!!". This soup was so satisfying and delicious. It is a personal pet peeve of mine when people comment about cooking something (not on this particular site, mind you) and I know they are never going to do it! Well, I made this and will make every soup recipe you post this year... I know I'm going to be so happy with them! I added some roasted parsnips and a tiny bit of cream to mine because I had them on hand and I just love this soup. Pure velvet.

[sweetmaddy]

I just made this in my Paris apartment where I have no room for a blender - and it's just as good chunky! I recommend cutting the leeks and potatoes very small, and it tastes delicious! Wonderful recipe!

[D Cross]

Don't discard the leek leaves or root; freeze vegetable scraps to make stocks (which can then be used to make delicious soups, like this one, which I also made with turkey stock after T'giving...)

[Hannah]

Lovely! This soup sounds fantastic, and any recipe with 5 simple steps is just right for the end of a weekend. This reconfirms my belief in having good stock on hand - perfect for pulling off a quick and delicious bowl of soup. Thanks for the inspiration!

[Max]

Love the recipie!