Is that a snowflake? Excuse me, I need to make a pot of
Potato Leek Soup.

Just the Recipe | 4 Servings

Ingredients

1 Onion
2-3 Leeks
2-3 Cups Yukon Gold Potatoes
4 Tbs. Butter, divided
4 Cups Chicken Stock

From the Pantry:

Kosher Salt

Fresh Ground Black Pepper

Stove Top | Soup Pot

Steps

Prepare the vegetables:
- Peel and dice the onion.
- Clean the leeks (see tips below) and cut into a large dice.
- Dice the potatoes into bite size cubes. (If you are in the mood for a rustic soup, you don’t need peel to the potatoes. Scrub them well and dice.)
Heat the pot and melt 2 Tbs. of the butter.
Add the onions and leeks to the hot pan, plus some salt and pepper
(1/2 tsp each to start). Allow to sweat on medium heat for about 5 minutes, stirring so they don’t stick or burn.
Add the potatoes, stir and allow to cook for 2 minutes.
Add the chicken stock. Bring to a boil.
Cover and simmer on low for 20 minutes or until the potatoes are cooked through.
To finish, remove from the heat and stir in the additional 2 Tbs. of butter. Add additional salt and pepper to taste.

Spoon into bowls and enjoy! Serve with crusty bread and sharp cheese.

Potato Leek Soup is simple, warming, and delicious. If there’s a snowstorm in the forecast, watch out grocery stores I’m coming for your leeks!

Snow Day Soup

Why do I make this soup on snow days? There are a lot of reasons. Several that have to do with nostalgia. Others related to simplicity and having everything readily available. And a few due to the ingredients of timing and chance that form any other family tradition.

I am one of those people who love a good snow day. It's like a needed intermission during the often dark monotony of winter. I am blessed to be able to work from home when the weather makes commuting dangerous and have a husband who will shovel the drive so I can stay in my PJs and make soup if I want to. Routines in the kitchen, as in life, can provide balance and peace that make some sense of the big unknowns facing us on the regular.

Will I always make this soup on snow days? I doubt it. But in this season of life it's my go-to. So when the snow flakes are quietly blanketing our neighborhood, you'll find me rhythmically cleaning and dicing potatoes, onions, and leeks. Taking a needed deep breath in the chill of winter to warm my home and soul with a simple pot of soup.

Kitchen Acumen Tips:

Leeks. I have so many thoughts about leeks. Yes, I know how that sounds and I’m ok with it. Enjoy:
- Cleaning leeks. Seems obvious, but cleaning leeks is really important or you’ll end up with a gritty soup. You can’t just rinse them, you have to get between the leaves. Leeks are root vegetables and dirt can be hiding between the leaves. I’ve seen it often enough to know this is not an area to cut corners on.
- Cleaning leeks first and then dicing. My favorite method is to slice lengthwise down the stalk starting at the root but while leaving the leek connected at the end. Then I rotate 90° and slice lengthwise again. I fan each leek out over the sink and wash between all the layers in cold water. Then I lay them on a kitchen towel to drip dry as I dice the veggies.
- Dicing leeks first and then cleaning. I also have tried the method where you dice up the leeks first and then wash in a large bowl of cold water. In this method you halve the leek and cut into a bite-sized dice. Then you add all the pieces into the water bowl. The dirt sinks into the cold water. You give it a good stir (think washing machine agitation) and then scoop out the leaves and allow to drip dry in a colander. This method works too so choose what you prefer. I’m too lazy to deal with bowl of water so I skip this method. I also don’t like when dirt gets on my cutting board or my knife cuts into the grit.
- The outer leaves. Leeks go from dark green on the outside to white near the root. Some people only use the white and very light green parts of the leek. I like to use some of the dark green leaves in this recipe. That said the outer most leaves can be very tough and fibrous. They are harder a little harder to digest, if that is a concern. For large leeks I cut off the tops of the outer layers that are really thick and keep some of the inner dark green leaves that are more tender. For smaller leeks, I may just peel off each of the outer layers, trim the top about an inch or so and use the rest.
Homemade Chicken Stock really makes this soup sing. Over the years I’ve made my own stock in large batches on the weekend or anytime I had the ingredients on-hand using a crockpot. I make chicken stock primarily in the Instant Pot these days. I, like most of my food gurus, keep a bag of veggies for stock in my freezer at all times. And I watch for deals on chicken (especially the bony cuts) in the store. With the Instant Pot, I can make bone broth on a weeknight, no sweat.
Make it vegetarian or vegan. Swap the chicken stock for vegetable (vegetarian) and swap in olive oil for butter (vegan). It won’t be as velvety without the butter, but it will still be delicious.
Kerry Gold butter. It’s amazing. Be warned, there is no going back. I’m fully onboard with my love of this product. And I won’t let it break the bank. Aldi carries an un-branded Irish butter that’s suspiciously similar (and let’s just say they had a seasonal special of Kerry Gold one week and less than a month later they were stocking an unbranded version in my area). Costco also sells Kerry Gold in bulk at a great deal. Since butter doesn’t go bad for a very long time, I stock up and keep the extra in my second refrigerator. (Sorry, weird kitchen flex.)
Variations. I’ve made this soup on almost all of the snow days we’ve had in the past 10 years. Here are some of the variations I’ve tried and enjoyed:
- Cream of Potato Leek Soup. If you’re craving a creamy vegetable soup add a cup of milk or a few turns of heavy cream to the recipe after the potatoes have cooked. Allow to simmer for 3-5 minutes before serving.
- As a bisque. Use an immersion blender to blend all the veggies together. It will be akin to a cream of potato soup but a little green. Feel free to top with bacon, chives, croutons, and cheese.
- Add chicken. Chicken goes nicely in this soup if you want extra protein. Add a cup of chopped, cooked chicken (rotisserie works well) when you add the stock.
- Thyme. When I have it, I add 1 tsp. of chopped thyme when I cook the onions. It adds an earthier flavor.
- No Leeks. Without them it’s just potato soup, but hey that’s yummy too! In this case I blend half of the soup and leave the rest chunky so it’s more of a baked potato soup.