If there is one food group I cannot live without it’s soup.
For a home cook, soup is a treasure, a resource, a refuge. When there is, seemingly no food in the house–soup. When you have lost all inspiration–soup.
When you need real nourishment because when you look back on the week that was maybe just maybe lacking in a few servings of vegetables–soup.
A Creamy Potato Soup Tale
Earlier this winter, I got a reminder of how incredibly good a simple creamy soup can be at The Gold Room. It was, I recall, a potato parsnip soup with the barest drizzle of olive oil.
It was luscious and whole belly warming and full sensory enveloping. And what enraptured me was the ultra-smooth texture.
Potato soups don’t typically grab my attention, but here’s the thing: potato doesn’t pull its weight with flavor. It’s all about texture.
If you want a creamy soup that has no cream what you want is this creamy potato soup.
The French Soup Called Potage
This recipe is based on an old memory of mine of the French staple soup called potage. It’s a pureed vegetable soup often made with leeks, carrots and potatoes.
This is soup for the people: humble and sustaining. Farm food. Every day food.
There are no luxury ingredients or special techniques required. The sweet onions and the leeks bring their own flavors to this creamy potato soup. But you can use whatever alliums you have in your pantry.
The quality of the vegetables does matter. So no bland carrots or tasteless potatoes. That way, if you don’t have vegetable stock {or choose to make some from the vegetable scraps, see Recipe Note}, you can use water and still make a most tasty pot of soup.
I highly recommend the homemade garlic croutons which add excitement to this ultra-creamy potato soup. Dive in!
Name your favorite style of soup. Let me know in the comments below or tag a photo #lynnesforage on Instagram or Facebook.
Creamy Potato, Leek & Carrot Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter or vegetable oil
- 1 sweet onion, diced
- 2 leeks, split lengthwise, sliced and rinsed thoroughly use the green parts in the soup or use them to make the vegetable stock
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 2 large carrots, diced organic
- 3 medium Yukon Gold potatoes
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
- 4 cups vegetable stock or water
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/4 cup milk optional
- 1 cup croutons, for garnish
Instructions
- Heat the butter in a stock pot over medium heat. Add the onion, leeks, carrot and garlic and cook until the onions turn translucent but do not brown, about 10 minutes. Add the potatoes and stir in the thyme and salt.
- Pour in the stock and add just enough water to cover the vegetables. Add the bay leaf and bring to a simmer and cook, partially covered until the potatoes are fork tender, about 20 minutes.
- Puree the soup in the pot with an immersion blender. For the smoothest texture, puree in a blender and transfer back into the pot.
- Stir in the milk, if using, taste for seasoning and serve with the croutons, if desired.
Notes
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