Brrrrr! It’s a little bit cold out, and I love it! I get so excited when I can throw on a cozy sweatshirt and long pants all day, without sweltering nearly to death! And my collection of socks! I love to wear them, yet much of the year it’s too hot. I know many people probably read that and think I’m crazy for longing for those chilly nights when I can actually sleep wrapped in a soft blanket, but this Arizona girl seriously pines for these days all year long. Comfy, cozy, soft, snuggly…give me all the words to describe this feeling of warmth wrapped up in front of the fireplace…and yes, we absolutely often need to run the fireplace and the air conditioner at the same time. Cost-effective? Nope. Seems odd? Slightly. Do we care? Not one bit. Ha!
When we do get this lovely colder weather, I have some favorite recipes I love to put into the rotation that just don’t seem to fit with any other temperatures. Like soups! I adore soups, as does the rest of our family, but it is just too hot on most occasions to truly be able to enjoy them properly; you know, without breaking into a sweat while attempting to slurp your dinner down. *sigh*
But today, it’s just chilly enough to look forward to one of our favorites: My homemade Creamy Potato-Leek Soup! I thought up this recipe several years ago, based on ingredients I had on hand in the fridge one night, and boy was it a hit! I quickly jotted down what I had done, and the rest is…creamy, delicious dinner history.
It all starts with leeks. These aren’t veggies I grew up eating, but I have learned to love them so much! They are very versatile and quite tasty. My favorite way to cook them for almost any recipe, including this soup, is to slice them very thinly and sauté them before doing anything else. The aroma while they cook is intoxicating, and their flavor after being browned in a smidge of butter??? Incredible!
We love to enjoy this soup on its own, or sometimes accompanied by a grilled, sliced chicken breast, depending on how hungry we are. Tonight, though, the soup is enough. Just the smooth, warm, comforting aroma filling the kitchen as we file in…and then having our bowls filled to the brim with the savory flavors…it will be perfect just as it is. Sometimes with dinner, just as in life, I like to look for the simple joys and take them just as they are. Tonight is definitely no exception to that. So without further ado, I will join my family for dinner, and I hope that you will find a whisper of simple comfort and joy on a chilly night when you try this soup. Blessings to you, dear friends.
Melissa's Creamy Potato-Leek Soup
Ingredients
- 2 leeks, trimmed (trim each to about 8" long)
- 6 brown potatoes
- 2-3 C chicken broth (depending on how thin you like it)
- 1.5 C heavy cream
- 2 C shredded cheddar cheese
- chives for garnish
- 2 C cooked, chopped turkey bacon (can use pork bacon or ham, but we find we like the leaner quality of the turkey in this recipe)
- salt and pepper to taste
- 3/4 C plain Greek yogurt (or nonfat sour cream)
- 3 T butter (for sautéing)
Instructions
- Thinly slice the leeks, so the circles are about 1/4" thick at most.
- Sauté leeks in butter until slightly browned and softened on a cast iron skillet for best flavor.
- Set leeks aside.
- Peel and rough chop potatoes.
- Boil potatoes until fully cooked, then drain.
- Place cooked potatoes and sauteed leeks into a stock pot.
- Over these, pour the chicken broth, plain Greek yogurt (or sour cream), and heavy cream.
- Use an immersion blender to blend until smooth.
- Liquid soup should be very hot still, perfect for melting cheese.
- Sprinkle in all cheese, stirring to melt it evenly.
- Add in cooked, chopped turkey bacon and stir until fully incorporated.
- Taste to see if you'd like to add any additional salt or pepper.
- Serve in bowls, garnishing with minced chives if desired.
- Enjoy!