During the Covid pandemic shutdown I’ve done more Netflix watching, more cooking and more cocktails! One series we were hooked on for a few weeks was Outlander. The series explores time travel and the clans of Scotland. One of the clans specifically was the “Wallace Clan”. The Clan Wallace is a Lowlands Scottish Clan and is officially recognized as such by the Lord Lyon King of Arms. The most famous member of the clan was the Scottish patriot William Wallace of the late 13th and early 14th centuries.
This all reminded me of a name I had seen while doing Ancestry.com. I recalled there being a great-grandmother on my Mother’s side named Teresa Wallace……Hmmmm. Never had met her and didn’t recall much information from my Mother, but she WAS from Scotland! Could I be a descendent of William Wallace? Possibly! Well anyway, I was shopping at my favorite farmer’s market, Bedner’s and they had beautiful leeks. My friend Johnny Brown from Wales used to LOVE my potato leek soup I would make for traditional “Sunday Roast” dinners in the winter in New Jersey. Turns out that potato leek soup is the TRADITIONAL soup of Wales, England and Ireland! All of which Ancestry.com confirms I am……Salisbury (England), Lynch (Ireland), and Wallace (Wales) !
So I bought some of those beautiful leeks, a bag of Yukon Gold potatoes and made some potato leek soup in honor of my heritage. It’s a very simple recipe and delicious. The temperature will drop into the 60’s this week in Florida and it’s a great time to celebrate OUR change of seasons! Here we go:
POTATO LEEK SOUP
INGREDIENTS
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 4 large leeks, white and light green parts only, roughly chopped (about 5 cups)
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
- 2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and roughly chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
- 7 cups low sodium chicken or vegetable broth ( I LOVE the Better Than Broth products and used the vegetable broth)
- 2 bay leaves
- 3 sprigs fresh thyme (you could use dried, about 1 tsp)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 cup 1/2 & 1/2 (could also use whole milk)
- Chives, finely chopped, for serving
Start by peeling the potatoes and cutting them into 1-2″ pieces. Next take a leek……had to say that. They need to be carefully cleaned as they trap a lot of dirt when growing. Start by cutting off and discarding the root ends and thick dark green parts. Cut the leeks in half lengthwise and rinse each half under cold water, pulling apart the layers to remove any grit that’s tucked inside. Once the leeks are clean, roughly chop them.
Melt the butter in a large soup pot, then add the chopped leeks and garlic. Cook until wilted and softened. Next, add the potatoes, chicken/vegetable broth, bay leaves, thyme, salt and pepper.
Bring to a boil , cover, reduce the heat, and simmer for 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender when you poke a fork in them. Then fish out the stems from the thyme sprigs and the bay leaves. Purée the soup with a hand-held immersion blender (or in a regular blender) until smooth. I LOVE my immersion blender and use it on all kinds of soups, sauces and gravies. It doesn’t splash up and it’s done right in the pot you’re using. Then you just rinse it off under running water. If you are using a standard blender, be sure not to fill the jar more than halfway; leave the hole in the lid open and cover loosely with a dishtowel to allow the heat to escape.) You can get the immersion blender here…..one for you and another as a gift for your favorite chef!
Finally, add the milk or half and half . You can reduce the amount if you’d like but I wouldn’t leave it out completely. This makes the soup deliciously silky, rich, and smooth — just add it little by little until the soup tastes good to you. Salt and pepper to taste. I served it with some chopped scallions and a few croutons.
Absolutely delicious and simple to make. All I needed to do to make it even more authentic was to put on my Wallace Tartan kilt!! Enjoy!
That soup was awesome!!
Thanks!!