Silky Potato and Leek Soup with Chives and Crispy Leeks
Inspired by techniques from NYT Cooking, Serious Eats and America's Test Kitchen.
Gently softened leeks and potatoes are simmered and blended into a velvety soup enriched with cream, then topped with crisp fried leek strips and chives.
Always check the labels of the products you use.
Method
- 1
Sweat the leeks. Melt the butter in the pot over medium-low heat, add the sliced leeks with a pinch of the salt and cook for 10 min, stirring often, until very soft but not browned. Add the garlic for 1 min. Low heat and salt draw out moisture slowly, keeping the leeks sweet and the soup pale.
- 2
Simmer the potatoes. Add the potatoes, broth, water, bay leaf, remaining salt and pepper. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer gently for 15-20 min until the potatoes break easily with a spoon. Remove the bay leaf.
- 3
Blend until silky. Blend the soup until smooth. With an upright blender, fill it no more than half full and hold the lid down with a towel, as hot liquid expands and can force the lid off. Avoid over-blending, which can turn potato starch gluey.
- 4
Add the cream. Stir in the cream and reheat until steaming and just bubbling, without a hard boil. Thin with a splash of water if it is very thick; gentle heat keeps the cream smooth.
- 5
Crisp the leeks. Heat the oil in the frying pan over medium heat and fry the leek strips for 3-5 min, stirring, until golden. Lift them onto kitchen paper with the slotted spoon. Dry strips crisp fast, so watch closely once they start colouring.
- 6
Serve. Ladle the soup into bowls and top with the crispy leeks and chives just before serving, so the leeks stay crunchy.
Storage
Cool and refrigerate within 2 hours and use within 3 days. Reheat until boiling hot (74°C), stirring often, and keep the crispy leeks separate in an airtight container.
Equipment
- large heavy-based pot with a lid
- wooden spoon
- stick blender or upright blender
- small frying pan
- slotted spoon
- kitchen paper
- ladle
- clean tea towel
Nutrition per serving (estimated values)
| Per serving | Amount |
|---|---|
| Energy | 438 kcal |
| Protein | 7.3 g |
| Carbohydrate | 50.5 g |
| of which sugars | 7.9 g |
| of which free sugars | 0 g |
| Fat | 24.5 g |
| of which saturates | 11.4 g |
| Fibre | 6.1 g |
| Salt | 2.01 g |
Protein per 100 kcal
1.7 g High Protein needs ≥ 10 g
Calculated from USDA FoodData Central ingredient values
