Potato Leek Soup

Potato Leek Soup.

This soup is a classic in many countries. It's a good hearty everyday soup, that will heat you up and fill you up without robbing your wallet. And I love that this soup is easy to make, dinner is ready under 45 minutes.

Serve the soup with a cheesy dinner roll.

Serves 4-6.

Ingredients:

Soup:

• 850 g potatoes, peeled and diced

• 3-4 leeks, rinsed and sliced thinly. Save a little for garnish

• 20 g butter

• 2 garlic cloves, minced

• 1200 ml stock, vegetable or chicken

• 1½ dl (little over ½ cup) heavy whipping cream

• salt & pepper to taste

• lemon juice to taste

Toppings:

• bacon

• leeks

• parsley

Directions:

Melt butter in heavy large saucepan. Add leeks, garlic and potatoes, cook them for 5-7 minutes, until potatoes begin to soften. Do not let the potatoes get browned. Add the stock in bring it to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until the vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes.

Puree soup in batches in a blender* until smooth, and return to saucepan. 

Add the cream and season with salt, pepper and lemon juice.

Serve the hot soup with the toppings.

Enjoy!

* Be careful when working with hot soup in a blender.  If you need a new blender, consider a Vitamix. They are expensive, but they are worth all the money. They can liquefy almost anything and makes soup and margaritas so smooth and creamy. But the best part, you can blend hot soups without having to clean the soup of all your kitchen cabinets afterwards. Just saying. ;)

Roasted Garlic and Potato Soup

Roasted Garlic and Potato Soup

Crispy brussels sprouts - who knew? I first had them New Year's Eve, when we dined at Manresa, a 2 stared Michelin restaurant, on opening night for Manresa after a dreadful fire in July 2014. The crispy brussels sprouts was served on top of a porcini mushroom dish. I really liked the texture and taste. So when I browsed for ideas for a garlic soup and stumbled upon this recipe for garlic-potato soup at the blog How sweet it is  with crispy brussels sprouts on top, I knew I had to try it. 

The soup was a hit in my house, and will be on the menu again soon. 

Served 6-8.

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 1 tablespoon butter

• 1 onion, diced

• 3 pounds (1.3 kg) russet potatoes, peeled and diced

• 5 cups (1.25 liter) chicken stock

• 4 roasted garlic bulbs

• 200 ml heavy whipping cream

• salt & pepper to taste

Brussels sprouts crisps:

• 10 brussels sprouts, clean outer layers only

• 750 ml vegetables oil, for frying

• salt and pepper for seasoning

Directions:

Heat oil and butter in a large pot. Cook onions until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the potatoes and enough stock to cover them - I used 5 cups (1.25 liter). Bring it to a simmer, put a lid on and cook until the potatoes are tender and starts to fall apart, about 20 minutes. 

Crispy brussels sprouts:

Remove the outer leaves from the brussels sprouts, carefully clean and dry them, set aside.

Heat vegetable oil to 325-350 ℉ (165-180℃) in a pot. (use a candy thermometer to measure the temperature.) Add the brussels sprouts leaves a few at a time and fry until crispy, about 1-2 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and place on a paper towel to drain. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Transfer the soup to a blender,* work in batches. Squeeze the roasted garlic cloves into the blender. Puree the soup until totally creamy and smooth. Return the soup to the pot and gently heat it with the cream. Season the soup with salt and pepper. 

Serve the soup in bowls with the crispy brussels spouts on top and sprinkled with red chili flakes.

Enjoy! 

*Be careful when blending hot liquids, it can make the lid pop off, and you may risk getting serious burns on you skin. You can remove the small cap on you blender lid and cover the lid with a clean kitchen towel. You need to hold on to the lid and towel. This will let the steam from the hot soup escape and avoid the lid from popping off. You can also get blenders like the Vitamix, where you can blend hot liquids, without any hassle.