Potato Leek Soup

I’m sure the last thing many of you want to see is more pictures of giant piles of snow. But guys we got almost two feet of snow! I have been on the island for hurricanes and average snow storms before but for the first time we were truly housebound with snow piling up our front door and sticking to every window. It started Monday night and a bulldozer came down our road to start the clearing Wednesday morning. Like many others, we had the tub filled with water and candles and batteries at the ready but happily the lights stayed on.

While hunkering down, Nick and I took turns in the kitchen. He made rice, beans, and kale while I soaked some overnight oats, roasted carrots, and made some soups. Here is a simple and yummy potato leek soup. Unlike many potato soups it is not dense or sticky and the buttermilk gives it a good tang.

POTATO-LEEK SOUP
adapted from Serious Eats

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 large leeks, white and pale green parts only, rinsed and roughly chopped

1 quart low-sodium chicken stock (sub vegetable if you’d like)

2 medium russet potatoes, peeled and cut into quarters (about 3/4 pound)

1 teaspoon kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 cup buttermilk

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 lemon, juiced

Sliced chives, scallions, or fennel fronds for serving

Heat butter in a large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium heat until melted. Add leeks, reduce heat to low, and cook, stirring frequently, until very soft but not browned, 10 to 15 minutes.

Add stock, potatoes, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce to a gentle simmer, cover, and cook until potatoes are fall-apart tender, about 15 minutes.

Add heavy cream and buttermilk to pot. Use an immersion blender to blend soup until completely smooth or, working in batches if necessary, transfer soup to a blender. Slowly increase blender speed to high and blend until completely smooth, about 2 minutes. Return soup to the pot. Whisking frequently, bring soup to a simmer over medium-high heat. Add lemon juice then season to taste with salt and pepper and serve with chives, scallions, fennel fronds, black pepper and olive oil.