Potato-Leek Soup For Christmas

If you’re my brother, you need to stop reading this now. If you want to win a prize, keep reading.

While in high school, I discovered how to make cream of potato soup. At the time, Campbell’s just came out with their chunky-soups, with the slogan, “So thick you can eat it with a fork.”

This was the way my brother wanted it.  So, I discovered the fine art of making a “roux” with flour, and pumped it up so thick, you could eat it with a fork. He loves this soup so much, that I think I’ll make a big batch, freeze it in small portions, and give him this for Christmas.

I found a tip on the Scott Common Sense page that just made the chore of making this soup so much easier:

Boil potatoes with the skin on. When done, drain. Fold a SCOTT Towel in half and pick up a hot potato. Gently rub the potato back and forth and the skin comes right off. Shake the potato skin off and reuse the towel. It saves time and clean up. When finished, just discard the towel or, better yet, go green and place the towel and the peelings into a compost pile for next Spring’s gardening.

Before I get to the recipe, I’m giving you a chance to win a year’s supply of Scott Bath and Towel products — that translates into $144, which includes a year free of lugging the bulky packages home from the grocery store.  To enter, click here.

Now for the recipe for creamy potato leek soup:

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2 leeks, white and light green parts washed and sliced into 1/4-inch slices
• 2 tablespoons of flour
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 large Yukon Gold potatoes (about 1 pound), peeled as above, and cubed into 1/2-inch cubes
• 4 cups vegetable stock
• Sour Cream for garnish

1. Heat a 4-quart soup pot over medium heat and add the oil and butter.
2. Add the leeks, and sea salt and saute for about 5 minutes, stirring often, until the onion begins to turn translucent.
3. Add flour and let boil for one minute.
4. Add the garlic and stir well. Cook for 1 minute more.
5. Add the potatoes and vegetable stock, cover, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer. Cook 10 minutes.
6. Remove the soup from the heat and use an immersion/stick blender to blend the soup in the pot or ladle the soup into a blender, 1 cup at a time.
7. Transfer the blended soup back to the original soup pot and warm over low heat until heated through.
8. Serve hot, with sour cream.