Potato Leek Soup with Crispy Leeks
Text and photo by Meda Kessler
This creamy soup satisfies our craving for comfort food, yet is elegant enough to serve at a dinner party.
It’s one of 70 recipes created by Katie-Rose Watson, a former Fort Worth resident and TCU alum, and is included in The Rose Table, her first cookbook, released this past fall.
Potato Leek Soup with Crispy Leeks
Serves 4 to 6
- 4 large leeks
- 7 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 8 cups organic chicken broth
- 2 pounds large red potatoes (4 cups peeled and cut into even chunks)
- 1½ teaspoons salt
- Pepper to taste
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon fresh Italian parsley, chopped
- ½ tablespoon fresh chives, chopped, with more for garnish
- Crispy Leeks (recipe follows)
Trim off leek ends and the tough green parts.
Cut leeks in half lengthwise. Submerge in a bowl of water and swish around. Pour water out and repeat two or three times to clean the leeks. Remove and pat dry with a paper towel. Slice leeks into quarter-inch half moons.
In a Dutch oven or large stock pot, saute leeks in butter until translucent, about 10 minutes over low heat. Add garlic and cook for 2 more minutes.
Turn up heat just a hair and sprinkle flour over the leeks. Stir and cook for a couple of minutes.
Add chicken broth and potatoes. Increase heat to high. Boil for 20 to 25 minutes or until potatoes are fork tender.
Prepare Crispy Leeks (recipe follows).
When potatoes are tender, turn off heat. Use an immersion blender to puree the soup. (If you don’t have an immersion blender, carefully transfer soup to a blender, blend, and return pureed soup to pot.)
Season soup with salt and pepper to taste. Stir in heavy cream, Italian parsley and chives. Serve with Crispy Leeks and additional chives.
The Rose Table Katie-Rose Watson runs a food, entertaining and travel website and is best known for her Disney Dinners (Watson is a major fan of all things Disney, from the Mouse to Maleficent.) The cookbook is available, along
with more recipes, on the website. therosetable.com
Crispy Leeks
- 3 leeks, small to medium
- 1 tablespoon flour
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- Sea salt
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Heat oven to 425 degrees.
Trim leeks leaving only soft white portion. Cut leeks in half lengthwise and clean following directions in the main recipe.
Slice each half lengthwise into matchstick-size strips. Gently break layers apart and spread on a parchment-covered pan or baking mat.
Mix flour, paprika and salt in small bowl.
Toss leek strips in olive oil, spread them out on the baking pan and dust evenly with flour mixture.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until they turn golden brown, watching carefully that they don’t burn.