Leek & Potato Soup

It’s been cold and rainy in Florida the past week. We are still too early in the season for beautiful spring vegetables so I decided to make soup from what I had on hand - loads of alliums and potatoes. The key to making this soup is to cook the potatoes in the broth so that some of the starch is transferred to the soup itself. When blended, it will create a nice, creamy base for the vegetables.

This soup really calls for something crispy on top. I opted to serve with crushed up potato chips and fried shallots. If you’re making fried shallots from scratch, make sure you reserve the oil used for frying. It can be a delicious base for salad vinaigrettes or meat marinades. Be sure to watch your shallots carefully as they can burn quickly if left unattended.

You can use a variety of different vegetables using this method to make soup; assuming you keep everything else in the recipe the same. That being said, you need to have at least one root vegetable present in order to capitalize on the starch. You can also add a variety of different spices to flavor the dish like curry powder, toasted and ground fennel, or fenugreek. I opted for something more simple this time.

Some suggestions on vegetable combinations:

• Acorn or butternut squash and curry powder

• Sweet potatoes and fenugreek

• Rutabagas and toasted, ground fennel

Ingredients for the Leek & Potato Soup

• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, 1 stick

• 5 medium Idaho potatoes, peeled and chunked, approximately 24-30 ounces

• 1 medium onion, sliced, approximately 6 ounces

• 5 small leeks

• 8 cloves of garlic

• 1 tablespoon white miso

• 1 tablespoon chicken bouillion powder

• 6 cups chicken broth, low-sodium

• 1/2 cup sherry

• 1 cup heavy whipping cream

• Crushed potato chips, for serving

Ingredients for the Fried Shallots

• 3/4 cup vegetable oil for frying shallots

• 2 shallots, thinly sliced

Special Equipment

• Standing blender or hand blender

Serves 4

Directions for the Leek & Potato Soup

1. Remove the outer leaves of the leeks. Trim off the roots and dark green tops of the leeks. Then, thinly slice into rounds. Clean the sliced leeks by dropping them in a bowl of clean water. Agitate the water with your fingers to remove as much of the sand as possible. Skim the cleaned slices from the dirty water and set aside.

2. Heat the butter in a large soup pot or Dutch oven over medium high heat. Melt the butter and sweat the onions, leeks, and garlic for five minutes. Then, add in your chunks of potatoes, chicken bouillion powder, and miso paste. Continue to cook for another five minutes.

3. Add the stock to the pot and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for 12-15 minutes or until the potato pieces can be easily pierced with a fork.

4. When the potatoes are fully cooked, add in the heavy cream and sherry. Blend the soup with a hand blender or transfer to a standing blender. Transfer back to the pot if you’re using a standing blender.

5. Ladle the soup into serving bowls and top with the crushed potato chips and crispy shallots. Enjoy immediately!

Directions for the Fried Shallots

1. In a small sauce pan, heat the oil and sliced shallots over medium high heat. DO NOT WALK AWAY FROM THE SHALLOTS. Continue to observe them while gently stirring in the oil. You want to cook the shallots from cold oil so they cook evenly.

2. The shallots should be bubbly within two to three minutes. Continue to cook them for another five to eight minutes or until they are just starting to turn golden brown. At that point, cut the heat off immediately and transfer to a paper towel lined plate. Alternatively, you can set up a small bowl with a sieve to drain before transferring them to the paper-towel lined plate.

3. Serve with the soup and keep the cooled shallot oil for future recipes!