Potato Soup

Potato Soup

Two things inspired this soup- that produce box I get every week (love/hate- but more on that later) and my lovely reader the Soup-ista! (who loves all things soup.)

When I am faced with that organic produce box every week, two things run through my mind: 1) Excitement! What beautiful things could possibly be lurking in there, (yes, I am too lazy/busy to read that e-mail they send me prior to drop off each week) so it is always a surprise! 2) Fear. What in the hell am I going to do with all this random stuff?

This time ladies and gentleman, it was soup. And Potato soup isn’t the full story, it also has leeks (but not enough to make it potato-leek soup). There is also the addition of one of my very favorite ingredients, that is unusual enough that I sometimes even forget that it is a favorite. The elusive celery root!

This soup has all three, and they were all gorgeous to start with (well except, maybe for that celery root- those are kind of ugly) and they made a really nice cozy soup. It should be noted that I used some purple potatoes. The 9 year old girl in me might have had a fantasy that they would turn the dish into a lovely lavender stew, but no, they didn’t. they just left some reddish “freckles” in the soup. If you are looking for something more refined, peel or strain ☺

This dish was significantly more delicious when I dunked a huge bacon-cheddar-chive drop biscuit into it (but what wouldn’t be?) I will post that next for your Friday delight.

Potato Soup, serves 6
2 large leeks
2 lbs assorted potatoes
1 smallish celery root
2 Tbs butter
4 cups broth (vegetable or chicken)
4 cups water
½ cup heavy cream
Kosher salt to taste

Flat leaf parsley or chives for garnish

First we have to prep the vegetables:

Slice the leeks into thin rounds.

Chop the potatoes into about ½” pieces.

Peel, trim and chop the celery root unto about ½” pieces.

In a large pot, over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the leeks and stir to coat.

Add the potatoes and the celery root to the pot.

Cover the vegetables with the broth and the water.

Simmer with the lid on for about 30 minutes, or until the vegetables are all very soft and tender.

Let the soup cool slightly, and then puree with an immersion blender (or in batches in a big blender) just until smooth. (You don’t want to whip it up too much, or the soup will get a little “gummy” from the potato starch.)

Put the soup back on the stove and stir in the heavy cream. Season with salt and gently warm back up.

(If you live in WA- they make gorgeous dairy)