Potato & Leek Soup

One of our many favourite soups at Alevia's Kitchen

Potato and leek soup is pretty easy to make and stores in the freezer really well, as long as you don't put the heavy cream in it. For ours, we found some beautiful looking Ontario leeks in the store, already had some tasty Howe Island Potatoes so the decision was simple, make a batch of soup and freeze some of it for later

Clean your leeks really well before and after you cut them; they tend to trap dirt between the layers. Cut the leeks down the center, then cut the halves into thirds and slice about 1/2 inch thick. We cut 4 large leeks using mostly whites with very little green. Let drain in a strainer following washing until ready to use

Melt butter in a pot, add the leeks and sauté until tender. While they are cooking, peel and clean 4 large potatoes and dice into 1/4 inch cubes. Once the leeks are tender, add the potatoes and sauté for about 3 mins

Dust with a little flour, mix, add 1 quart of chicken or vegetable stock and bring to a boil. Once at a boil, turn down to a simmer and stir every few minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. When the potatoes are tender, mix half of the soup with an immersion blender, then add back to the soup pot. If freezing, this is where you stop and portion into containers, let cool prior to freezing.

If you are going to serve right away, this is the point at which you add heavy cream. Stir well, on low temp, and be careful not to burn. If left unattended, potatoes tend to stick and burn to the bottom. Garnish with fresh herbs-infused oil, or both, as we did

Note:

• freezing without the cream helps to prevent breaking (separation from cream and stock). Also, without the cream, the base can be used for numerous other applications; stay tuned!

Cheers from Alevia's Kitchen @3ish Acres!

Potato & Leek Soup Finished with Persian Lime Olive Oil