I have been on a lookout of simple yet mouthwatering vegetarian soups for a while now and the deeper i get into this soupy subject, the more wonders it offers me 🙂 This time it is a typical potato leek soup which a soup novice like me tried my hands on and was simply amazed.
Potato leek soup’s origin is stated as Wales. Me being in India for first 25 years of my life, i had no idea what wonder this soup was. In fact it is pretty interesting how i got to know about this soup in the first place.
My trips to the vegetable market is usually fun and informative. Scrolling through the fresh stock of greens and such, i used to always see this stack of very inviting and an enlarged version of spring onions (pardon my observation here, but leek was a new vegetable to my Indian eyes and this is how i registered it :P). One such time, i thought of giving it a try and in the enthusiasm, i bought, a couple of leeks.
As soon as i reached home, i looked up on the internet and figured out what was leek all about. The first recipe that propped up all over the search engine was this soup 🙂
This soup was a delightful entry to my soup marathon 🙂 I had never tried this soup before assuming that potatoes were not all that tasteful by themselves and the idea of making a potato based soup was not very palatable to my senses. But after i made this, i realized that i was just being presumptuous and that this soup was indeed amazing.
My renderation is a spicier, roasted herb infused potato leek soup which brings a crunch and chunky texture to the soup, just the way i like my soups. Though this soup requires a lot of thick cream for that extra richness, i have toned it down a bit so that i get an excuse to make it more often 😛
Roasted Herb Potato Leek Soup
Roasted herb potato leek soup
Recipe
2 large size potatoes (russet preferred) – cut into 1 inch chunks
2 leeks (white and light-tender green portion only)/you can also use 6-8 spring onions instead of leeks- sliced into half and then cut into 1/2 inch chunks
1 tsp butter
2 tsp Olive oil
2 cloves garlic (optional) – minced
2 cups vegetable stock/ water
1/2 cup milk (i used low fat milk)
salt to taste
pepper to taste
For garnishing
1 tsp butter
1 tsp olive oil
1 spring onion (finely chopped)
1 clove garlic- finely chopped
1/2 tsp dry oregano
1 tsp paprika powder
2 tablespoons thick cream (optional)
Method
- Take a pot. To this, add in 1 tsp Olive oil and butter and put to low flame. Once the butter melts, add in the minced garlic and let it roast to golden brown.
- Next, add in the leek and fry till transparent.
- Now add in the potato chunks and salt. Mix well and cover the pot with a lid. Let it simmer for 15-20 minutes or till the potatoes are semi-cooked.
- Next, add in the vegetable stock/water, milk and combine well with the mixture. Adjust salt and add pepper. Let the soupy mixture simmer on heat for another 15-20 minutes.
- With the help of a masher or a mixie, mash the potatoes to a smooth texture (I let the soup mixture cool down a bit and then pureed in the mixie. You can also use masher for a uneven and chunkier appeal to your soup). Potato Leek soup is ready.
For Garnishing
- In a small pan/ skillet, add in butter and olive oil and heat.
- Next, add in the chopped garlic and roast till it leaves a rich aroma and is slightly brown on the edges (make sure that the garlic is not over roasted else it will leave a burnt taste and will leave the oil tasting sour)
- Now, add in the spring onion, paprika and oregano and saute for just about 30 seconds. Remove from heat and keep aside.
- In a bowl, pour the potato leek soup. Add in 1 tsp thick cream and top it with the spring onion garnishing. Serve hot with home made whole wheat bread toasts.
The delicate flavour and aroma released by leeks is a beautiful blend to the simple taste of potatoes. Lightly seasoned with simple, basic spices, i got such a harmony in the form of this delicious soup !
If you like what you see and the ingredients make your mouth water (just like i am doing now :P), you have to look no further and make this delicious soup quickly. The soup is guaranteed to fill your tummy and soul with very satisfying and wholesome meal. When in hurry or busy with other work, i would suggest you make this simple and home stocked ingredient soup with the spicy, roasted herb twist and give your family a delicious soupy meal 🙂
This looks SO amazing! I love all soups but haven’t made a potato one yet!
Thanks a lot. I was happy indeed to have stumbled upon this creation and give it a go
I have been super into soups lately- this looks so I good! Pinned to make this week 🙂
Oh thats great ! Thanks a lot. Do let me know how it turns out ! Thanks
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You mentioned milk in the ingredients but I don’t see it being used in the method
My bad … U will add the milk along with water itself. Not sure how i missed it out. Thanks for pointing it out.. I made the corrections. thanks 🙂
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