Leek & Potato Soup

I have had a few requests for the recipe for my Leek & Potato Soup. It's really super simple. And I did it in the Crock Pot, even easier.

Leek & Potato Soup

3 large Leeks

1 large sweet onion (I like Vidalia or Mayan Sweets) (Diced Up)

5 Cloves of Garlic (Peeled and minced)

2 Tblsp Goat Butter & 1 Tblsp Olive Oil

8 medium Yukon Gold Potatoes (Peeled and Diced)

1 Cup of Goat Yogurt

6 oz of Chevre (I used basil garlic to give a bit more flavor)

2 cups of Chicken Stock (Or Vegetable if you prefer)

3 cups of Whole Milk (I used Goat due to my allergies to Cow)

1 tsp salt

Black Pepper to taste

The hardest part for this is prep work. Leeks by nature are gritty, so you have to really wash them well. You will use the white part only (Going into the very pale green) Do not use the dark green parts as that is too strong in flavor. You will cut the bottom root ball off of the Leek, then cut thin rings, approximately 1/6 of an inch. Cut all the way up to the light green and stop. You will then take those rings and seperate them by sticking a finger in the middle and causing all the layers/concentric rings to pop out. Put into a colander and run under cold water. Get your hand in there and toss and make sure they are all clean.

Once clean you can put them in the crock pot with the chicken stock and turn it on High to start. I warmed the chicken stock in the microwave so the pot gets warmed up from the inside helping to prevent it from cracking as it heats up.

While the leeks start to cook in the Crock, I started the onions in a large skillet with 2 Tblsp of Butter (I use goat, you can find it at Fresh Market, Whole Foods and some of the larger Kroger Stores) and 1 Tblsp of Olive Oil. I happen to have some Olive Oil that has garlic and Oregano in the oil to flavor it. This just adds to the flavor of whatever I am cooking and I used this. I found it at World Market.

I cooked the onions until starting to get translucent and a bit of golden on edges, then added the minced garlic. I continued to cook for another 3 minutes and then poured all of this into the crock with the Leeks in the stock. I stirred well and then added the potatoes. (Hubby had peeled and I diced them up.) Also I rinse the potatoes well in cold water. This helps to remove some starch and they cook smoother.

I stirred the potatoes into the Leek mixture and put the lid on. I let this cook for about 2 hours. At this point I got out the Stick Blender, or as Alton Brown says "The Boat Motor" and I blended everything in the pot until it was creamy smooth with no lumps. I add the Yogurt, Chevre & Milk at this point and stir until smooth and well blended. I let continue to cook on low for another hour.

I like to serve with a spoon of Chevre or more Yogurt on top and chives sprinkled on for color. You can also serve it cold on a hot day. It's a real delight.

This soup can be used as a base for making other soups too. I like it for making homemade seafood chowder. Just heat, add seafood and maybe some cut up carrots or corn and serve.