CREAMY CHEESY POTATO LEEK SOUP

Potato Soup has been one of my favorites since I was a kid when my Mom made it with bacon, onions, chicken broth, and potatoes. Then, when I began cooking I started changing up the basic recipe quite a bit to include flavors borrowed from Potato Leek soup and Vichyssoise, the old school French soup served cold. I also kicked in a nod to Load Baked Potato Soup and came up with Creamy Cheesy Potato Leek soup.

Of course, the leeks add a wonderful dimension of flavor that only compliment the onions, celery, and carrots. I start with a little bacon, diced, cooked, then saved for later. I drain most of the bacon fat then add butter. The vegetables are ”sweated” not sauteed or browned. It takes a little longer but is always worth the time and effort.

This recipe goes very light on the cheese and heavy on the potatoes…Yukon Gold potatoes…that are cooked just fork tender and left chunky. I also like to puree the veggies before add the and cooking the potatoes. It makes for a much smoother, more elegant soup…my nod to Vichyssoise.

What you don’t serve right away, cook it quickly so the potatoes don’t sit in the sup and get mushy.

INGREDIENTS:

• 4 thick sliced of bacon, 1/4 inch diced

• 1/4 cup unsalted butter

• 2 small or 1 large leek, white and light green parts only, halved, washed, sliced

• 1/2 cup onion, diced

• 1 large celery rib, diced

• 1 medium carrot, peeled, diced

• 2 small garlic cloves, peeled, thin sliced

• Kosher salt and black pepper to taste

• 1/4 cup flour

• 1/4 cup dry sherry

• 3 cups low sodium chicken stock

• 2 sprigs of fresh thyme

• 1 cup water

• 1 1/2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled, quartered lengthwise, 3/8 inch slice

• 1/2 cup cream

• 1/4 cup sour cream

• 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese + more for garnish

• 1/4 cup sliced green onions + more for garnish

DIRECTIONS:

• Heat a large saucepan over medium low heat and add the diced bacon. Cook, stirring, until rendered and just browned, not crispy. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside. Drain all but 1 tsp of bacon fat and discard (or save).

• Add the butter. Add the leeks, onions, celery, carrots, and garlic and cook, stirring, for 3-4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Lower the heat, cover, and cook for 1o minutes. Make sure the veggies don’t brown, you don’t want to saute them just sweat them.

• Add the flour and stir for about 1 minute. Add the sherry then the stock. Raise the heat and bring to a simmer. Add the thyme sprigs, lower the heat, cover, and simmer for 25 minutes. Remove the thyme sprig.

• Using an immersion blender, blend the soup until smooth. Add the sliced potatoes, 1 cup fo water, and bring to a simmer again. Lower the heat, cover, and cook until the potatoes are fork tender, about 13 minutes.

• Add the cream, sour cream, and shredded cheddar and allow the cheese to melt and ingredients combine and heat through. Add the sliced green onions and cooked bacon. Taste and reseason if necessary.

• Serve garnished with more green onions and shredded cheddar.