This is my wife’s favorite of all the soups that I make. It’s also one of the easiest and is one of the soups we especially love in these chilly Fall and Winter months. I have also discovered that this soup goes particularly well with Bourbon……but that’s another story! The best thing about this soup is that I cut the calories without compromising the taste but simply omit the cream and use an immersion blender instead. If you do not have one of these wonderful tools, get one it will change your life!
First I dice about 4 slices of thick peppery bacon and add it to my pot and cook until the bacon is crisp. Remove bacon and set aside. I leave about 1 T of the bacon fat and add 2 T butter. Once the butter is melted add 3-4 leeks that have been cleaned, trimmed, and chopped. Keep your heat low so as not to burn the leeks. Add about 2 lbs of Yukon Gold potatoes that have been roughly chopped and 6-7 C of chicken or vegetable stock. Season with salt & pepper and add 2 bay leaves and bring to a boil. Cover and turn heat to low, simmer for 20 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Remove the bay leaves and puree the soup with an immersion blender. If soup is too thin, simmer longer, if too thick add more stock or water. Once the desired consistency is achieved you can add a bit of cream but trust me it’s not necessary.
Serve with bacon bits and chives or scallions and for an extra treat some shredded smoked gouda. I highly recommend serving this with some fresh rosemary bread and sweet butter, divine!
