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Clean recipe · cooking.nytimes.com

Potato Leek Soup

This classic, comforting potato-leek soup takes a few simple ingredients and turns them into a silky and decadent soup. Yukon Gold potatoes have golden flesh that’s denser and sweeter than other potatoes, giving the soup a richer texture and greater depth of flavor. Just a brief purée is all it takes to render the soup creamy; resist the urge to overprocess in the blender, which can result in gummy soup. For the silkiest soup of all, you can pass it through a sieve after blending. Enjoy a warm bowl with a green salad, or serve smaller portions as an elegant starter at your next dinner party.

Original recipe: cooking.nytimes.com

Yield:
4 servings
Prep:
15 min
Cook:
30 min
Total:
45 min
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Ingredients

  1. 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  2. 2 medium leeks, light green and white parts only, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced (about 3 cups)
  3. Salt and pepper
  4. 1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
  5. 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
  6. 1 ½ pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into ½-inch cubes (about 4 cups)
  7. 1 fresh or dried bay leaf
  8. 1 cup heavy cream
  9. Chopped chives, for garnishing
  10. Crusty bread, for serving

Instructions

  1. In a large pot, melt butter over medium. Add leeks, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened but not browned, 4 to 5 minutes. Add garlic and stir until fragrant, 1 minute.
  2. Add broth, potatoes and bay leaf; season with salt, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cover, adjust heat to medium-low and cook at a gentle simmer until potatoes are completely tender, 15 minutes. Discard bay leaf.
  3. Working in two batches, if necessary, transfer soup to a blender and purée just until smooth. (Resist the urge to overprocess in the blender, which can result in gummy soup.) Return soup to the pot or, for an extra-silky soup, strain through a fine-mesh sieve into the pot.
  4. Stir in cream and warm over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, for about 2 minutes. Season with salt.
  5. Divide soup among bowls and garnish with chives. Serve warm, with crusty bread.