Cream of Potato and Leek Soup (with Bacon)

Sep 18, 2011 by Nathan    8 Comments    Posted under: Food, Recipes

September has arrived with crispness, backpacks, and school buses. This time of year is synonymous with soup. There’s just something special about dipping freshly baked bread into a bowl of steaming soup. This recipe is a long time favorite of mine for its velvety smoothness, comforting flavor, and simple ingredients.

You’ll need:

• Potatoes (1 per person, +1, cubed)
• Leeks (2-3, sliced)
• Onions (2 medium, diced)
• Garlic (3-5 cloves, diced)
• Bacon (1/2 slice per person)
• Whole milk (1 cup)
• Chicken (or Vegetable) stock (2 cups)
• Garlic powder (2 tsp)
• Salt & Pepper (2 tsp, to taste)
• 10 minutes prep
• 20 minutes cooking
• Serves 6-8

Step 1: Potatoes

1. Wash and remove any bad spots, but keep most of the skin
2. Slice the potatoes in 1/2 inch wide slices
3. Turn over and remove the bottom slice so they lay flat
4. Cut slices length-wise about 1/2 inch wide
5. Keep the slices together, and rotate a half turn
6. Cut the slices into bite-sized pieces, about 1/2 inch wide
7. Place into a large pot
8. Cover with water and add a teaspoon of salt
9. Bring to a boil
10. Remove from the heat and drain half of the water
11. Add the chicken stock
12. Add garlic powder, salt, and pepper

Step 2: Leeks, onions, garlic, and bacon!

1. Wash the leeks thoroughly
2. Slice into circles about 1/4 inch wide
3. Dice the onions and garlic
4. Cut the bacon into bite size pieces
5. Cook the bacon for about 3 minutes
6. Remove the bacon and place on a paper towel
7. Add the onion, garlic, and leeks to the bacon grease (yes!)
8. Sauté for about 5 minutes until the leeks and onion start becoming translucent
9. Set aside a spoonful per person of the leek/onion mixture (just trust me)

Step 3: Combine Step 1 and Step 2

1. Stir in the sautéed leeks, onion, and garlic to the potatoes
2. Stir in the milk
3. Cook for about 5-10 minutes to bring back up to temperature
4. Turn the heat off
5. Purée the ingredients using an immersion blender
6. If you don’t have one of these amazing tools, then use a blender

Step 4: Bowling (like plating, but a bowl)

1. Ladle into bowls
2. Place a spoonful of leek/onion mixture you set aside in Step 2 in the middle of the soup
3. Add several pieces of bacon on top
4. Spice it up with some jalapeno hot sauce, at least that’s what I do
5. Serve with some fresh bread
6. Enjoy!

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