Dear readers,
Merry Belated Christmas, Happy Holidays, and a Happy New Year! I have been taking a VERY much needed break from mostly all things “digital” because I have been spending the last week and a half in the beautiful mountains of Breckinridge, Colorado with my husband, in-laws, and Floyd! Where is Tuggs you ask? He’s having a very much needed and well deserved respite from his little brother back in Chicago with some of our other packmates who did not make the journey out West this year. Floyd, however, is still in the throes of potty training and just general good boy behavior training, so we were allowed to cart the wee one out to the cabin this year. Our location is incredibly remote with zero bars of service, which has allowed me some time to just do me. Read, write (I’ve actually picked back up an old project that I had been working on YEARS ago), train, and sleep. I have forgotten how much I miss sleep, or general revelry – we’ve just been doing a lot as of late, work has been a lot, and I’m just that wee bit tired, you know? So this week was all about recovery and relaxation.
As for this week’s recipe, here is another soup for the books! And another one of my FAVORITE soups for colder weather! I won’t get back into my obsession for leeks (how versatile they are, how they can accompany just about any dish and elevate it to a whole new level), but let’s be real, I LOVE LEEKS!!! And I also really love Leek and Potato soup, but have always had trouble finding one where the color wasn’t off, or it wasn’t smooth how I like it…and while this pretty much nails it on the head, I will say that I wish I had left SOME of the potatoes I diced whole to add just an additional element of texture. I did leave a note at the bottom for those who would like to do so!
I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and have a very Happy New Year!!!
— Cooking Maggie
Potato and Roasted Leek Soup with Bacon
Adapted from the New England Soup Factory
Ingredients
- 4 lbs leeks, washed, sliced in half, and sliced into 1/4 inch half moons
- 4 lbs Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and diced
- 4 tbsp salted butter, melted
- 4 cloves of garlic, minced
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/2 tsp celery salt
- 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/4 cup green onion, sliced thin
- 5 strips of bacon, baked till crispy and crumbled for topping
- Salt & Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees, and place one pound of the leeks on a parchment paper lined baking sheet with 2 tablespoons of the melted butter, and a little salt and pepper. Roast for 25 minutes, stirring halfway through to keep them from burning. Once done, let them cool and set aside. (You can also bake your bacon along side your leek at the same time. Let cool on a paper towel then crumble and set aside. You can also slice up your green onion garnish as well!)
- In a dutch oven, add the remaining butter, the rest of the leeks, and the garlic. Saute over medium-high heat for 15 minutes, or until they’re caramelized.
- Add the potatoes and cook for 5 minutes, then add in the stock and bay leaf. Cover the pot and bring up to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the potatoes are soft and tender (around 30 minutes).
- Remove the pot from the heat, remove the bay leaf, and then add the remaining spices (celery salt, red pepper, nutmeg, and Worcestershire) and stir to combine. Using a blender, and in batches, puree the soup until smooth. Add in the cream, and add salt and pepper to taste.
- To serve, place your smoothed pureed soup in a bowl, then top with roasted leeks, bacon, and green onions. EAT AND BE MERRY!!!
Note: If you want some extra chunks in your soup, set some of your potatoes aside!
The Real Cooking Maggie 