Potato And Leek Soup
Instructions
1. Chop the leeks. If yours are sandy, put them in colander in a bowl of cold water, and soak them while you prepare the potatoes, then lift them out of the bowl, leaving the sand in the bottom.
2. Quarter the potatoes and then slice them as thinly as your knife skills will allow.
3. Melt the butter in a large saucepan over low heat, then add the potatoes and the leeks. Cover the pan and cook for about 10 minutes. Make sure the heat is very low while you do this; you don’t want the potatoes on the bottom of the pan to burn.
4. Add about 5 cups of water to the pan and a tablespoon of salt, then bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 35 minutes or so, until the potatoes are fully cooked. Push a few against the sides of the pan to break them up and give the soup body.
5. If you want a blended soup (this is the sexy potato-leek soup of my imagination) then use an immersion blender, regular blender, food processor, or food mill to blend the soup now. If you don’t, the soup will still be luscious, but will be both more chunky and more brothy.
6. Taste for salt and add more if need be. Add milk or cream to thin the soup and give it richness, and black pepper as you like.
