Leek and Potato Soup

I love making soup, as it’s a great way to use up leftover vegetables and in today’s case I had bought too many leeks and potatoes, so really that meant one thing; Leek and Potato Soup.  My go to recipe for this is one by Delia Smith from The Delia Collection: Soup – an oldie but a goodie.  Its straight forward and freezes well.

Leek and Potato Soup

Ingredients (Serves 4)

4 large leeks
1 medium onion, chopped small
2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
50g butter
850ml vegetable stock
275 ml milk
salt and freshly milled black pepper
2 tablespoons cream or crème fraiche
1 1/2 tablespoons snipped fresh chives or chopped fresh parsley

Method

• Start by trimming the leeks, discarding the tough outer layer, split them in half lengthways and slice them quite finely, then wash them thoroughly
• Drain well. In a large, thick-based saucepan, gently melt the butter, then add the leeks, onions and potatoes, stirring them all round with a wooden spoon so they get a nice coating of butter.
• Season with salt and pepper, then cover and let the vegetables sweat over a very low heat for about 15 minutes.
• After that, add the stock and milk, bring to simmering point, cover and let the soup simmer very gently for a further 20 minutes or until the vegetables are soft
• Leave it to cool a little, and blend using either a blender or a hand-blender, whizz the soup into a purée.
• Return the soup to the saucepan and reheat gently, tasting to check the seasoning.
• Add a swirl of cream or crème fraîche before serving and sprinkle with freshly snipped chives or parsley.