Potato-Leek (or Onion) Soup

Spring is here, and winter is coming to a close...supposedly, anyway.  (Never mind the fact that three days ago it snowed enough for the schools to be closed, but I digress.)  With the change of seasons, I always begin to think differently about cooking, what to cook, and how to prepare it.  After a long winter of roasting and braising, I look forward to using my grill more often as the temperatures warm and the light stays until after dinnertime.

Unfortunately, it doesn't all happen overnight, and at least here in the PNW, it won't be consistently warm for at least another couple of months.  As such, I am kind of all over the place with cooking this time of year.  Last night, I grilled some lovely center-cut pork chops, and today, I made potato soup.  I like soup any time of year, but tend to make it less in the summer when it's warmer.  And in the spring, I like to make lighter soups with seasonal ingredients, rather than the meaty, heartier soups of winter.  This potato soup is just perfect for this time of year, and it is so simple, there's really not even a recipe for it- more a collection of ingredients, and a technique for assembling them.  It is inspired by the classic potato-leek soup of Julia Child, with just a couple of minor changes.  Her recipe calls for water, and I use a mix of water and chicken broth.  Also, I used a mix of leeks and onions in mine- I don't always, sometimes I use all of one or the other, but this time I had only two leeks, so supplemented with half an onion.  It is delicious with any of these options, not to mention light and healthy, with very little added fat.  I topped mine with newly-sprouted chives from my garden.

Potato-Leek (or Onion) Soup

1.5 tbsp butter
2 medium leeks
1/2 large onion
4 medium russett potatoes
3 cups chicken broth
water, as needed
about 1/4 cup half-and-half
salt/pepper to taste
optional: fresh chopped chives

1.  Slice root ends and most of green tops from leeks and discard.  Slice leeks in half lengthwise.  Soak in a large bowl of cold water to remove dirt and sand from between layers.  Pat dry, then slice leeks thinly crosswise.

2.  Slice onion thinly.

3.  Peel potatoes and slice thinly.

4.  Melt butter in a large pot.  Add leeks and onions; stir and cook until tender.

5.  Add chicken broth and potatoes.  Add enough water to cover potatoes by 1 inch.

6.  Bring to a boil, tnen reduce heat to a simmer and cook until potatoes are tender.

7.  In batches, puree in a food processor or blender, or use a stick blender right in the pot.  (I **LOOOVVEE*** mine!)  Puree until smoothe and velvety.

8.  Bring heat back up to a simmer and cook about 15 more minutes.  Cook longer if it seems too watery.

9.  Add salt, pepper, and half-and-half.

Makes about 4-6 servings.  It tastes even better the second day!