Dorie's Potato and Leek Soup

If you don't know who Dorie is, then you've been living in a cave.  Dorie Greenspan is one of the goddesses of my kitchen.  She's amazing and I pretty much adore all of her recipes, so you can imagine how excited I was to see that she had tweaked a few recipes from her new cookbook, Around My French Table, to be WW friendly.

I had just bought leeks and potatoes last week with plans to make a Leek and Potato soup and after seeing that there was a WW friendly version created by Dorie, it was obvious what needed to be done.  I needed to make soup.

It was different than most of the other potato and leek soups I've made in that, there was only 1 potato.  I tend to like my potato and leek soups thick and this was far from it, but you know what?  I really liked it.  G thought it was the greatest soup he has ever tasted. I wouldn't go quite that far, but it was delicious and it tasted expensive.  Does that make sense?  Pshhh whatever, it makes sense to me.

And really folks, what better way to eat an expensive tasting soup than to knock it down a few pegs and eat it out of a paper bowl with a plastic spoon.

Leek and Potato Soup, Smooth or Chunky, Hot or Cold

Adapted from Around My French Table by Dorie Greenspan

Serves 6

3 PointsPlus values per serving if made with water in place of milk 

4 PointsPlus values per serving if you use the milk  (I used the milk)

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 large onion, preferably Spanish, chopped (or 1–2 more leeks) (I had 2 MASSIVE leeks ... think the size of 3 regular leeks each, so I just used both of those and skipped the onion)
• 2 garlic cloves, split, germ removed, and thinly sliced
• Salt and freshly ground white pepper
• 3 leeks, white and light-green parts only, split lengthwise, washed and thinly sliced
• 1 large Idaho (russet) potato, peeled and cubed
• 6 thyme sprigs
• 2 fresh sage leaves (optional)
• 4 cups chicken broth (or water)
• 3 cups whole milk (or water)**
  
• Optional toppings (note some of these add points)
  
• Minced fresh parsley, sage, tarragon, or marjoram, or a combination
• Snipped fresh chives
• Grated Parmesan or Gruyère
• Croutons
• Truffle oil

Instructions

• Melt butter in Dutch oven or soup pot over low heat. Add onion and garlic and stir until they glisten with butter, then season with salt and white pepper, cover, and cook for about 10 minutes, until onion is soft but not colored.
  
• Add remaining ingredients, along with a little more salt, increase heat, and bring to a boil. As soon as soup bubbles, turn heat to low, mostly cover pot, and simmer gently for 30 to 40 minutes, or until all vegetables are mashably soft. Taste soup and season generously with salt and white pepper.
  
• You’ve got many choices now: You can ladle soup into warmed bowls and serve as is, mash vegetables lightly with the back of a spoon, or purée soup through a food mill (my first choice — you’ll get a more interesting texture) or with a blender — regular or immersion — or food processor. If desired, garnish with topping of your choice. (I puréed it)

Notes from Dorie Greenspan

• I like this soup chunky but you can certainly purée it. Not surprisingly, the soup can be the base for lots of add-ins, among them spinach, watercress, fennel (one of my favorites), and, if you’re willing to throw tradition completely to the winds, corn, which is bound to put you in mind of New England chowder.