Potato Leek Soup

My new kitchen is lovely. My camera is broken and my iphone photos aren't doing any justice to the space, so I've borrowed some images from So Happy Home. I can tell you that a visually clean, organized, monochromatic work space is exactly what I needed after the "uniqueness" of the old kitchen. We're slowly moving everything back in, but we're being judicious with what returns and what gets packed away for a spring yard sale. We're cooking as much as we can; I've already managed to start a fire in my oven (everything and everyone is fine) AND give myself a burn on my arm that will probably produce a scar I'll have for the rest of my life. I know you're reading this and thinking I'm being careless but I like to think it means I'm bad-ass in the kitchen. Or something like that.

Anyway, we're doing a lot of cooking and it's really, really fun. I'll hopefully be sharing new and adapted recipes with you on a more regular basis and I'm going to start with a tasty soup recipe that aligns perfectly with what you might find in your Northeast farm shares this time of year. i love this soup because it is not like traditional creamy potato leek soups. It's stew-like in it's broth-to-vegetable ratio, has no dairy, and is perfect for a warming lunch after yard work or for a late dinner paired with cheddar melted on toast. This soup can be made extra delicious by the addition of some homemade baked croutons by cubing some hearty bread (I used Bakery Normand's Bergsteigerbrot bread), tossing with olive oil and grated romano, and baking at 350degrees until toasted.

Hearty Potato Leek Soup
serves 6
You'll need:
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp unsalted butter
2 large leeks, trimmed, halved lengthwise, washed, and sliced crosswise
2 large carrots, scrubbed, halved lengthwise, and sliced crosswise
1 tsp kosher salt
4 cups scrubbed and roughly-cubed yukon gold potatoes (approx 2 lbs)
5 cups chicken stock (or substitute vegetable stock)
2 tsp freshly chopped sage
2 tsp freshly chopped thyme
salt and pepper, to taste

In a medium soup pot (a 3 1/2 qt pot is perfect), heat the olive oil and butter. Add the leeks, carrots, and salt. Stir frequently, watching for the vegetables to soften, about 10 minutes. Add the potatoes, chicken stock, sage and thyme. Cover and simmer for about 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are just tender. Add extra salt and pepper to taste, if needed.

Recipe inspired by "Rustic Leek and Potato Soup" from Barbara Kafka's book, Vegetable Love