Potato Leek Soup

Ok, so it's still 75 degrees out at night here, but it was cloudy today--that qualifies as soup weather, right?

When we were at the new Whole Foods the other night, I noticed that they had some fine looking leeks--much broader and healthier looking that at those other grocery stores. I found myself downtown today, so I decided to go back for the leeks, and some boutique bacon. And some sourdough bread that was still warm.

Anyway, here's the potato leek soup recipe. I'm sure you could leave out the bacon, but I don't want to hear about it.

Trim the white to light green ends from the leeks, split them, and rinse them thoroughly. Chop them relatively finely.

Peel and roughly chop about a pound of potatoes. I used yukon golds because they were sprouting in my cabinet. I'm guessing it was a pound. It was a pile of chopped potatoes about the same size as the pile of chopped leeks.

Slice three strips of bacon into half inch pieces. Toss them in a large, heavy-bottomed pan over medium heat. Render the fat and remove the crisped bacon.

Add the leeks and saute until they begin to soften and turn translucent, adding ground pepper as you go. Add the potatoes, followed by enough chicken stock to cover. Simmer (boil if you're hungry and impatient) until potatoes are fork tender.

I happen to have a stick blender around (thanks to my ever-thoughtful friends). If you do too, pulse that soup up. If you don't, a potato masher works fine. After you get a consistency you're happy with, add about a quarter cup heavy cream--or just serve as is, topped with the crispy bacon pieces. Some bread never hurt either.