This silky smooth soup with a hint of fresh herbs has only a few ingredients and takes no time at all to make. Potato Leek Soup contains no cream or thickeners because it’s naturally thickened with a purée of potatoes.
The flavour of Potato Leek Soup is quite delicate. And since it’s made with potatoes and the mostly white part of leeks, the only colour is from the chicken broth. Fresh tarragon is excellent in this soup, but it’s not always easy to find. Thyme is a perfect substitute. In addition to fresh herbs adding a little something to the flavour, they also add an important colour element, which, as you can see, this soup needs.
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To make a vegan version of this soup, use vegetable broth. It may, however, give your soup a slightly pinkish colour, depending on the brand of broth and what types of vegetables are in the ingredient list.
Leeks are like a milder onion with a slight garlic flavour. In fact, the leek is a close relative of elephant garlic. Because they grow in layers, it’s important to wash leeks very well to make sure there’s no sand left behind. The best way to clean a leek is to peel off a few of the outside layers, especially if they are dark green, then slice in half lengthwise so you can “fan” the layers under running water.
Use only the white and very light green parts of the leek. As it gets darker, the texture becomes woody. In fact, the fibre strands in leeks run lengthwise so even the tender parts need to be sliced crosswise. So after cutting your leek in half lengthwise, lay them flat side down and slice into thin half circles.
How to make Potato Leek Soup
Soften the leeks in some olive oil in a large pot over medium-low heat. Once they’re softened, peel and cube the potatoes and add to the pot along with your broth, white wine and a bay leaf. Depending on the sodium level of the broth, you may need to adjust the amount of salt. Potatoes do tend to absorb a lot of salt so, as I always say, taste and season as you go. And save the pepper for garnish. It can add a greyish tinge to a soup if it’s added too early.
White wine or vermouth adds a splash of acidity that freshens the flavour of Potato and Leek Soup. Normally when cooking with alcohol, most of it cooks off from longer cooking time or higher heat, but in this case it’s not cooking long enough for most of the alcohol to be gone so leave it out if you wish.
Once the potatoes are soft, let the soup cool slightly, then purée well, until it’s silky smooth. An immersion blender is the easiest way to puree a soup but you can also use a regular blender. Just be careful with hot soup. It’s been known to splash out of blenders when you remove the lid. You can always gently heat it back to the right temperature after it’s puréed.
I like to serve soup with homemade bread like Olive and Onion Bread or New York Times No Knead Bread. Garnish with some extra fresh herbs before serving and a few grinds of fresh black pepper.
If you make Potato Leek Soup, feel free to leave a comment or rating below. Here’s the recipe:
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cups sliced leeks, 1-2 leeks depending on size
- 2 cups peeled and diced potatoes, about 2 medium
- 4 cups chicken broth or a 900 ml carton or vegetable broth for a vegan version
- ⅓ cup dry white wine or vermouth optional
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 tsp fresh tarragon or thyme plus more for garnish
- salt to taste amount depends on sodium level of chicken broth
- cracked black pepper
Instructions
- Clean and slice leeks. Add to pot with olive oil and sauté gently on medium-low for about 10 minutes until soft.
- Peel and dice potatoes. Add to pot along with broth, wine, bay leaf and tarragon.
- Simmer for 20 minutes until potatoes are fork tender. Taste and season with salt if required.
- Remove bay leaf and purée mixture until silky smooth.
- Garnish as desired and add fresh cracked black pepper before serving.
Looks incredible. Probably my favourite soup for sure. I thought your “secret” additive was going to be wine. Ha Ha
Well, there is wine in it…..naturally!