Potato Leek Soup

Ingredients

• 3 tbsp unsalted butter
• 2 large leeks
• 1 quart chicken or veggie stock
• 11 oz waxy potatoes, peeled and sliced
• 1 bay leaf
• ¾ cup heavy cream
• white pepper
• ½ tsp ground nutmeg
• ½ tbsp dill weed

Method

Slice the leeks in half lengthwise, then into half-moons roughly 1 cm thick. Rinse between the layers under cold water — leeks trap soil deep in their structure. Discard the dark-green tops; they're tough and will muddy the flavour. Peel the waxy potatoes and cut them into coins about the same thickness as the leeks so everything cooks evenly.

Melt the butter in a heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Add the leeks and a pinch of salt. This salt draws moisture from the alliums via osmosis, accelerating the sweating process. Stir occasionally for 8–10 minutes until the leeks turn translucent and collapse slightly — they should smell sweet and mild, not raw or sulphurous. Add the potatoes and stir for another minute to coat them in butter. This initial dry heat begins to soften the cell walls and prevents them sticking later.

Pour in the stock and add the bay leaf. Raise the heat to medium-high and bring to a gentle boil. The simmering should be energetic enough that the surface shimmers but not violent enough to break apart the potatoes. Cook for 15–18 minutes until the potatoes fracture easily when pressed with a wooden spoon. Remove the pot from heat, discard the bay leaf, and add the nutmeg — a ground spice releases its volatile oils into heat, so add it now while the liquid is still warm but not actively cooking.

Use an immersion blender to break down the solids. Work in long, overlapping strokes, keeping the blender head submerged to avoid splashing. For a rustic soup, blend for 30 seconds — you'll have a flecked texture with potato chunks visible. For a silken cream-based finish, blend for 90 seconds until you reach a uniform purée. Taste and season with white pepper and salt. Stir in the cream and bring the pot back to a bare simmer for one minute — this redistribution prevents the cream from curdling when plated into hot bowls. Finish with fresh dill, torn rather than cut, just before serving.