I have been nursing a cough and a cold for over a week – the change of the seasons always gets me! Add to that a week of cool, rainy weather, and I’ve been gravitating all things cozy and comforting. Lots of tea, early bedtimes, and a craving for soup that I just couldn’t ignore. I’ve been thinking a lot about one soup in particular that I just couldn’t get out of my head – an amazingly balanced potato leek soup from a farm store near my parent’s house. I had it for lunch a few weeks back, and couldn’t get it out of my head. We ate it with crusty bread and slices of sharp herbed cheddar cheese and it was so flavorful. I knew I had to recreate it home – and decided to combine the best parts of this unforgettable lunch into one pot: a potato leek soup infused with those sharp cheddar and herb flavors.
I will warn you, this is not a low-calorie soup. It is hearty and rich, creamy and sweet, and full of deep sharp flavors from the cheddar. It was just the thing I needed though when I was battling this cold. I’ve been chipping away at the leftovers in the fridge for a few days, and warming up a soft pretzel on the side to dip into the soup (I got the soft pretzels at Trader Joe’s in the frozen food aisle – such a great find!). Get the full recipe below, and earmark it for the next cold, rainy weekend when you need some comfort food.
SHOP THE POST
- 2 Tbsp. Butter
- 1 Tbsp. Olive Oil
- 1 Medium Onion, Diced (About 1.5 Cups)
- 5 Leeks, Thinly Sliced (About 1 Cup)
- 1 Clove of Garlic, minced
- 2 Tbsp. of White Wine
- 3 Cups of Potatoes, peeled and cubed
- 3 Cups of Chicken or Vegetable Stock
- 1 Cup of Heavy Cream
- ½ Tsp. of Nutmeg
- Bundle of Thyme Sprigs, plus more for garnish
- 1 Cup of Sharp Cheddar Cheese, shredded
- Salt and Pepper
- In a large pot, melt the butter and olive oil over medium heat. Add the diced onion, sliced leeks (Note: only use the white and very light green part of the leeks), and garlic to the pan. Sautee for 15 minutes until very softened but not browned.
- Pour the white wine into the pan to deglaze the bottom; use a wooden spoon to scrape any bits off the pan.
- Add the potatoes, chicken or vegetable stock, heavy cream, and nutmeg; stir to combine.
- Top the soup mixture with a bundle of thyme sprigs and cook at a low boil for about 15 minutes, until the potatoes are cooked through.
- Remove the thyme sprigs from the pot, and let the soup mixture cool slightly before transferring to a blender.
- Blend until smooth, about 1-2 minutes, and transfer back into the pot over low heat.
- Slowly stir in the cheddar cheese until fully incorporated. Finish with salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve warm with soft pretzels or crusty bread, and garnish with additional thyme sprigs.
I made this for dinner last night with some fresh sourdough bread. So delicious!! This will definitely be added to our cold weather dinner rotation 🙂
Full disclosure: I held off the garlic until the leeks/onions were almost done and waited until the end to add the cream.