Potato Leek Soup

I know Christmas is just 3 weeks away and you probably want some fun new ideas for baking. I'll tell you though, I'm trying to simplify my baking this Christmas. I'll write more about that in my next post. It got significantly colder here in the past week. And today is an absolutely dreary day. And 3 of my 4 kids are sick with coughs and runny noses. So I feel more like sharing a soup recipe with you. I hope that's okay. I made this for the first time the other night. When I want potato soup I usually tend to make this very hearty baked potato soup and load on cheese and bacon. Its REALLY good. But on Sunday, I wanted soup and my neighbors were all sick with a stomach bug. So I thought if I made something more mild that I could send them some, too. I had pinned this recipe off another food blog awhile back and decided it was time to try it (my adaptations are just to make a family-sized amount!). There is no heavy cream or milk in it--only some butter. All the other ingredients are local for me, and I can get them in the market around the corner! I felt this soup was a little more like a soup course/starter type soup, but we made a meal out of it by adding lots of croutons! This is definitely a great soup for when you're sick or just want a lighter warm meal! By the way, if you're on Facebook, I finally set up a Market2Meal page. Feel free to follow things and start some conversations on there, too! I love to learn new things from everyone!

Potato Leek Soup
8 medium-sized leeks
4 cups chicken or vegetable stock (I just used chicken bullion equal for 4 cups)
4 cups water
1/2 cup butter (could use as little as 1/3 cup I think)
1 medium-large onion
2 tsp salt
2 medium-sized potatoes (about 3/4-1lb)
2 bay leaves
1/2 tsp dried tarragon or thyme (I used tarragon), or 2 4-inch sprigs of fresh
2 slices white sandwich bread, lightly toasted
Salt and black pepper, to taste

Begin by chopping dark green tops off your washed leeks. Cut them into 1 to 2 inch pieces. Place them in a stock pot along with the chicken or vegetable stock and water. Bring to a boil. Turn heat to low, cover, and simmer about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, thinly slice the rest of the leeks (you want about 6-8 cups lightly packed) and finely dice your onion. Peel potatoes and half length-wise. Then slice into about 1/4 inch half-circle pieces. When your stock has been simmering about 20 minutes, take a slotted spoon and remove the green pieces of leeks and discard. You could also strain it through a colander when moving the liquid to a bowl to set aside. Using another pot, or the same one after moving the liquid to a bowl, melt the butter over medium heat. Add in all the prepared leeks and onions. Cook over medium-low heat for about 10 minutes, stirring often. Increase heat. Add reserved broth, salt, potato, bay leaves and herbs. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to low and simmer about 10 more minutes--until potatoes are cooked. Break slices of bread into the soup. Simmer another 3-5 minutes as bread softens and breaks apart. Remove bay leaves and herbs (see tip below). Working in batches, puree soup in a blender until smooth and creamy. Return to pot. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve and enjoy!

Tip: If you are using dried herbs rather than fresh, you can substitute 1/4 tsp dried for a 4-inch sprig of fresh. The downside is that your finished soup may not be as smooth with the dried herb bits in it. To avoid that, I put my dried herbs in a little bag that is made for using with loose-leaf teas to make your own tea bags. It works great. I just removed the bag of herbs at the end before pureeing. It won't be the end of the world if they are in there though!