When I told my co-worker April that we were making this for dinner her comment was "Sounds like a lot of calories!" How true. But we once again found the Boston Globe Sunday Magazine irresistible.
The Elemental Irish-Style Potato Soup recipe makes 3 quarts and suggests using homemade chicken broth.
3 T butter
1 large onion, chopped
1-1/2 pounds leeks, about three medium with white and light green parts halved lengthwise and thinly sliced.*
1-1/2 tsp. fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
6 sprigs fresh parsley
salt and pepper
6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1-1/2 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and chopped
3/4 c. half and half
2 T snipped fresh chives, for garnish
*Note to Gerry: Never use the tough, dark green part of the leek!
In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, melt the butter. Add onion, leeks, thyme, bay leaves, parsley, and 1 tsp. salt and cook, stirring, until the vegetables are heated through, about 3 min. Adjust the heat to medium-low, cover and continue cooking, stirring often, until the vegetables have released their juices, about 8 min. Add the broth and potatoes, adjust heat to medium-high, and bring liquid to a boil. Adjust heat to very low, cover and simmer until the potatoes are very tender, about 25 min. Remove the bay leaves and parsley.
With an immersion blender, puree the mixture until smooth and uniform. If necessary, return the mixture to the pot, add half and half, 1-1/2 tsp. salt and pepper to taste. Heat over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the soup is heated through. Taste and adjust seasonings. Garnish with chives.
For the Potato Soup with Blue Cheese and Bacon
you'll need 1-1/2 c. crumbled Gorgonzola (5 oz.)and 6 oz bacon.
Follow the directions for the Elemental Irish-Style Potato Soup making the following changes:
Fry 6 oz. bacon until lightly browned about 9 minutes. Drain and crumble. Use 1-1/2 T of the bacon fat and 1-1/2 T butter to cook the leeks and onion.
Reduce the thyme to 1 tsp., the bay leaves to 1 and the half-and-half to 1/2 cup.
After the simmering, remove the bay leaf and parsley and add 1-1/4 c. Gorgonzola and melt. Blend with immersion blender. Garnish with 1/4 c. Gorgonzola, bacon and chives.
