Irish Leek and Potato Soup

tehparrot's Note:

There are no hard and fast rules to this soup. It's just a traditional Irish recipe. You can mess around with the ingredients such as the amount of leeks and potatoes you'd like to imput. This is found in Nuala Cullen's book Irish Soups and Breads.

• Total Time: 45 mins
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 6

• 1 ¼ lbs leeks
• 3 medium potatoes
• 3 sticks celery
• 2 large garlic cloves
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 5 ½ cups chicken stock or 5 ½ cups light vegetable stock
• salt and pepper
• 3 scallions , very finely chopped (optional)
• 2 tablespoons chopped chervil (optional) or 2 tablespoons parsley (optional)
• potato crouton (optional)

Directions:

1. Peel and chop the potatoes into cubes. Finely chop the garlic, the cleaned leeks and the celery.
2. Melt the butter in a large saucepan, add the vegetables and gently cook about 10 minutes or so until the butter is absorbed, but don't allow to brown.
3. Add 3/4 of the stock and simmer until the potatoes are soft, about 15 minutes.
4. Puree the soup in two batches in a blender and add the balance of the stock.
5. To serve, mix the croutons, scallions and parsley together and mound a large spoonful on top of each bowl.

Reviews

[Laneydey]

Every time I make this, it is a huge hit! I'm constantly getting requests for it. Sometimes I use a little bit more of the green sections of the leeks and it makes the whole soup turn green, which all my friends and family seem to get a kick out of. I always use way more garlic, I never use the celery or scallions (I always forget to buy them), mushrooms go well in this soup, and most times I forget its on the stove and it tastes better for the longer simmering. :D Thanks for sharing!!

[3vegkids]

delicious!! i've eaten leeks before, but never cooked with them myself -- i don't remember them being this good! i made a couple of minor changes: 1. i forgot to buy celery and was too lazy to go back to the store, so no celery. 2. i only used just over 4 cups of vegetable stock. maybe my potatoes were on the small side, but i felt like if i added more stock it would have been too runny. 3. i only pureed half of the soup. just a personal preference, i guess. it will be served tonight with some irish soda bread for st. paddy's. (not bad for a scottish girl!)

[Pinot Grigio]

WONDERFUL! Made this for St. Patrick's Day this year and it was a big hit. We just love leek & potato soup and this version was especially comforting and delicious. So easy to make too. Served as suggested with some homemade garlic croutons, scallions, and parsley to garnish as well as some fresh hot bread on this side. Yum - it tasted like it had cooked all day! This made a big pot, so now I already have lunch ready for tomorrow too :). And I definitely won't wait until St. Paddy's Day to make it again! Great recipe - thanks!