Potato Leek Soup
Quick answer
Potato leek soup is a French home-style cream soup made by sweating leeks and onion in butter over low heat, simmering with diced potatoes in chicken stock, and blending...
What makes this special
- Leeks sweated in butter build a sweet, mild base for this velvety blended Potato Leek Soup.
- Leeks sweated 6 minutes on low heat shed sharpness and build a sweet base
- Potato starch creates velvet-thick texture without any roux or cream starch
Key ingredients
Core cooking flow
- 1 Split the leek lengthwise and rinse between the layers to remove trapped dir...
- 2 Thinly slice 250 g leek and 100 g onion, keeping the pieces similar in thickness.
- 3 Melt 30 g butter in a pot over low heat, then add the leek and onion.
Potato leek soup is a French home-style cream soup made by sweating leeks and onion in butter over low heat, simmering with diced potatoes in chicken stock, and blending until velvety smooth. Cooking the leeks slowly is essential - it dissolves their raw sharpness into a sweet, mellow base that carries the entire soup. The potato starch provides natural body without any added thickener, and an immersion blender produces a seamless, silky texture. Heavy cream stirred in at the end adds a layer of richness and rounds out the flavor. The soup can be served hot for a comforting meal or chilled as vichyssoise for a refined summer starter.
Instructions
Read the steps as a cooking flow: prep, heat, seasoning, doneness control, and finish.
- 1Prep
Split the leek lengthwise and rinse between the layers to remove trapped dirt, then shake off excess water.
Peel 500 g potatoes and cut them into small, even cubes so they soften at the same pace.
- 2Finish
Thinly slice 250 g leek and 100 g onion, keeping the pieces similar in thickness.
If the slices are too thick, they take longer to sweat and can stay sharp in the finished soup.
- 3Control
Melt 30 g butter in a pot over low heat, then add the leek and onion.
Sweat for about 6 minutes, stirring often, until glossy and softened without browning.
- 4Control
Add the diced potatoes and 900 ml chicken stock, then bring to a boil over medium heat.
Reduce to low and simmer about 20 minutes, until the potatoes crush easily against the pot.
- 5Step
Turn off the heat briefly and blend with an immersion blender, reaching the bottom and edges of the pot.
Continue until no potato lumps remain and the soup looks smooth and even.
- 6Finish
Stir in 120 ml heavy cream and warm over low heat for 3 minutes without a hard boil.
Season with 1 tsp salt, then serve hot or chill thoroughly for a cold vichyssoise style.
After the steps
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Vichyssoise (French and potato soup)
Vichyssoise is a chilled French leek and potato soup blended smooth with cream.
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