The other day, I looked at the weather forecast and saw that it was supposed to be pretty blustery in the near future. Using this information, I picked up some leeks and a potato from the grocery store to make a hearty and flavourful soup to enjoy and keep warm. Sure enough, the forecasters got it right, and it’s chilly and very windy out…Hooray!
This soup would also work without bacon for a vegetarian version…but we are trying to clear out our freezer, and we still had some bacon that my uncle-in-law gave us from when he raised pigs, and this seemed like a perfect use! Since it’s such incredible bacon, we decided to use it in two different ways in this recipe (key soup ingredient and a topping/garnish).
Time: 40 Minutes
Ingredients:
- Russet Potato
- Leeks
- Bacon
- Vegetable or Chicken Stock
- Cream
- Milk
- Optional Toppings:
- Crumbled Bacon (what we used)
- Shredded Cheese
- Chives
- Caramelized or Fried Onions
Method:
- Heat some vegetable or chicken stock in a sauce pan.
- While your stock heats, cut your leeks:
- Cut the dark green leaves off your leeks so that all you have left is light green and white. (You can keep the dark green leaves in the freezer and use them next time you’re making soup or stock)
- Cut your leek in half the long way, and rinse to clean out any dirt that may be hiding inside.
- Slice each half down close to the root.
- Melt a little butter in your soup pot, and then add your sliced leeks, and sautee until they begin to caramelize.
- As the leeks cook, cut your potato into medium sized cubes (you can peel it first for a whiter coloured soup, but we left the skin on to keep the nutrients)
- When your leeks start to brown and soften, add your potatoes to the pot, and stir together with the leeks for a minute or two.
- Pour your hot stock into your soup pot until it just covers your potatoes, and let everything simmer for about 30 minutes.
- While your potatoes simmer, turn your attention to the bacon:
- Cut your bacon into small rectangular strips (we also removed a bunch of the fat in this part of the process)
- Sautee until it becomes crispy and brown.
- Add about half of your bacon to your soup pot, and then when your potatoes are soft and easy to pierce with a fork, puree everything with an immersion blender or in a food processor/blender.
- Once your puree is back in the soup pan (if it ever left), turn the heat down, and pour in some cream….stir to combine.
- Then, add in some milk, and bring everything back to a low simmer.
- Once your soup reaches your desired viscosity (if it’s too thin, just mix some corn starch with some milk until it’s dissolved, and add that to your soup to thicken), you’re good to go!
- Ladle the soup into your bowl, and top it off with any cheese (if using) and the rest of your cooked bacon.
- Devour, and enjoy!
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