Tuesday, January 06, 2015

Winter Eats -- Leek, Potato, and Ham Soup

I've been longing to try a leek and potato soup since... well, it's been a long time. The simplest way to go about this is to purchase both leeks and potatoes at the store, along with any necessary seasonings. But having never to my knowledge purchased a leek (or even held one), I gave in to my fear of the unknown. Which is a shame, because my husband declares that this is his second favorite soup -- our homemade version of Panera's broccoli cheese soup is forever his favorite, so second best is fine with me!




I used this recipe as a base, but beefed it up a little. Well, "hammed it up" would be more accurate, since I used leftover Christmas ham -- my husband does not eat vegetarian dinners! Really, any meat would do (though I think ham has the best kind of flavor for this soup), or it could be omitted altogether. I'll provide ingredients and instructions below, but this is a super easy and super flexible recipe that could be altered to your tastes or ingredients.

Leek, Potato, and Ham Soup

Ingredients:
  • 2-3 leeks, diced (about 1/4" 'squares' -- I used quite a bit of the dark green stem, too)
  • 4-5 medium potatoes, diced 
  • 2+ TBSP of butter 
  • 4 cups of broth (chicken, vegetable, etc.)
  • Seasonings to taste (rosemary, thyme, sage, salt, pepper, minced garlic)
  • 2-3 cups of ham, diced (or another meat; optional)
  • Toppings (oyster crackers, bacon, and shredded cheddar are amazing!)



Instructions:

  1. Melt a few tablespoons of butter in a large pot and add the leeks and potatoes. Saute until the leeks are soft, adding more butter if needed. When this step was almost done, I threw in some fresh rosemary, sage, and thyme, along with a bit of minced garlic, some freshly ground pepper, and a pinch of salt. Use your imagination!
  2. Add the broth and bring to a boil; I used rabbit/chicken broth supplied by friends from church (They raise their own meat rabbits! How cool is that?), which is amazing. Reduce heat and simmer for twenty minutes, or until potatoes are tender. I threw a piece of ham bone in while it simmered, for additional goodness.
  3. Put about half of your soup -- or all of it, if you prefer -- into a blender or food processor (be careful doing this with hot liquid! Either wait for it to cool, or make sure your appliance is well vented to avoid explosions). Pulse until delicious, then add back to the rest of the soup. I actually used two "fresh" potatoes because that was all I had, and added in two cups of leftover mashed potatoes during the blending stage. I worked out just fine!
  4. Add the diced ham, if desired.
  5. Serve topped with cheddar, bacon, and crackers, with a side of buttered, toasted bread. And a salad, if you're feeling extra healthy.


Bon appetit!


8 comments:

  1. The recipe looks delicious! I love leek and potato soup!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's definitely my new favorite -- so hearty and delicious :-)

      Blessings,
      Shannon

      Delete
  2. Would you share your recipe for the Panera broccoli cheese soup? That's a soup I've never quite been able to perfect!

    ~Tiffany

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tiffany,

      I was planning to post the recipe, and then (fortunately) was struck with the idea that I might already have it on the blog -- ta da!

      http://thoughtsandthimbles.blogspot.com/2010/07/natal-day-celebrations.html

      Enjoy! :-)

      Blessings,
      Shannon

      Delete
  3. Minnesotan Gal1/07/2015 12:42 PM

    That looks so good! Soups are a very common winter meal at our house; they are so easy to make and freeze and it take's little time to reheat.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I *love* how well soups freeze -- I frequently freeze leftovers in small jars for quick lunches, especially if there's not quite enough for a full meal.

      Thanks for stopping by!

      Blessings,
      Shannon

      Delete
  4. This sounds so yummy for a winter's day like this. We typically use leftover chicken, but as I have one-half of a boneless ham in the freezer, I think I will try it your way!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I typically have chicken on hand, too, but ham pairs so well with potato (in my opinion :-). I had enough ham leftover to freeze for another batch of soup, so I'm looking forward to a repeat soon!

      Blessings,
      Shannon

      Delete

I'd love to hear your thoughts! Thank you so much for stopping by!