Potato Leek Soup
Velvety soup made from just a few ingredients, served with croutons and chives.
- Preparation
- 15 min
- Cook/bake time
- 30 min
- Total
- 45 min
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Calories
Velvety soup made from just a few ingredients, served with croutons and chives. Potato soup must never go into a blender because the released starch instantly turns it into a sticky, gummy mass. With an immersion blender and a little restraint, however, it becomes wonderfully creamy.
Step-by-step instructions
- 1
Wash the leeks thoroughly
Slit the leeks lengthwise and rinse them leaf by leaf under running water, as sand often sits between the layers. Then cut them into fine rings. Use only the white and light green parts, as the dark green remains tough and gives the soup an unappealing grayish-green color.
- 2
Sweat the leeks
Melt the butter in a pot and sweat the leek rings over low to medium heat for ten minutes until they are completely soft and sweet. They must not take on any color, because browned leeks taste significantly more bitter and would dominate the mild soup.
- 3
Cook the potatoes
Add the diced potatoes, pour in the vegetable broth, and drop in the bay leaves. Let everything simmer for eighteen to twenty minutes until the potatoes are completely soft and fall apart when pressed. Remove the bay leaves afterward.
- 4
Blend carefully
Purée the soup with the immersion blender only until it is creamy, for a maximum of thirty seconds. Under no circumstances should you use a regular blender, because the high speed whips up the starch and makes the soup tough and gluey. It is better to leave a little texture than to blend for too long.
- 5
Season to taste
Stir in the heavy cream and heat the soup again without letting it boil. Season generously with salt, white pepper, and freshly grated nutmeg, which is an essential part of this dish. Serve with crispy croutons, plenty of chives, and a drizzle of olive oil.
