The other day I was walking through the produce aisle of our local grocery store and I saw some leeks. The first thought that popped into my mind was "potato leek soup!!". I didn't buy them that day, but I did mention them to Shawn and the first thing he said was "potato leek soup!", so then it was decided. I would make potato leek soup.

And so I did! And it was delicious, of course. It brought me back to my childhood... dinner sitting around the circular table in the kitchen with my family, my mom ladling pureed vegetable soup into our bowls and topping each with a dollop of cream. Little did I know then how gosh-darn simple it is to make soup like that! If I had known, I would have made this a long time ago. Now, I don't have five mouths to feed, and I had a borrow a friend's blender, but I think my mom may have been on to something because we've been eating soup all week!

Potato Leek Soup

Adapted from Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 pound russet potatoes, peeled and chopped
2 large leeks, cleaned and thinly sliced
1 quart vegetable stock
salt and pepper, to taste
juice of 1 lemon
1/4 cup light cream
minced parsley

- Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the chopped leek and potato and cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables are soft and fragrant.
- Add the vegetable stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 30 minutes, until the potatoes are tender and break apart easily.
- In small batches, carefully transfer the soup to a blender and blend until smooth. (If the vegetables are tender, this will take just a few seconds for each batch.)
- Return the blended soup to a pot or large bowl. Add the cream, lemon juice, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Portion out into bowls and top with a dollop of cream and a sprinkle of minced parsley.
- Enjoy!

Psst! I still can't get the 'Leave a Comment' link to show up on the blog's main page, but comments still work! Just click on the title of a post and scroll down to the bottom of the post, the comment blurb is right down there ;)