Ingredients

• 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 4 large leeks
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 5 cups vegetable broth
• 2.5 lbs Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and diced into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1.5 tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt
• 1 bay leaf
• 3 sprigs of fresh thyme
• Freshly chopped chives and black pepper, for garnish

Sweat the Leeks

First, prepare the leeks.

Trim off the dark green tops and the root end. Slice the remaining white and light green parts in half lengthwise. Chop them crosswise.

You’ll need to wash them thoroughly in a colander under cold water to remove any grit trapped between the layers.

Get a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat and add the olive oil.

Add the cleaned leeks and cook for ~8-10 minutes.

Stir them occasionally until they’re soft. You don’t want them to brown; if they start to color, just lower the heat.

Add the minced garlic and stir for another minute until it’s fragrant.

Simmer and Blend the Soup

Add the diced potatoes, salt, bay leaf, thyme sprigs, and vegetable broth to the pot.

Turn the heat up to high and bring it to a boil.

Once it’s boiling, reduce the heat to low, cover the pot, and let it simmer for ~15-20 minutes.

The soup is ready for the next step when the potatoes are tender enough to be easily pierced with a fork.

Remove the pot from the heat. Fish out the bay leaf and thyme stems.

Use an immersion blender to blend the soup directly in the pot until it reaches a smooth, creamy consistency.

If you don’t have an immersion blender, you can carefully ladle the soup into a regular blender in batches.

Serve the soup topped with a sprinkle of freshly chopped chives and a few cracks of black pepper.

Print Pin

Potato Leek Soup

Yukon Golds blend creamy without getting gluey like russets would – their waxy texture is perfect for soup. Cleaning leeks properly is annoying but essential; grit ruins the whole velvety thing you’re going for.

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 45 minutes mins

Ingredients

• ▢ 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• ▢ 4 large leeks
• ▢ 4 cloves garlic minced
• ▢ 5 cups vegetable broth
• ▢ 2.5 lbs Yukon Gold potatoes peeled and diced into 1/2-inch pieces
• ▢ 1.5 tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt
• ▢ 1 bay leaf
• ▢ 3 sprigs of fresh thyme
• ▢ Freshly chopped chives and black pepper for garnish

Instructions

• Trim leeks, keeping white and light green parts. Halve lengthwise, chop crosswise, wash thoroughly.
• Heat olive oil in large pot over medium heat.
• Cook leeks 8-10 minutes until soft, stirring occasionally.
• Add garlic, cook 1 minute until fragrant.
• Add potatoes, salt, bay leaf, thyme, and broth. Bring to boil.
• Reduce heat, cover, simmer 15-20 minutes until potatoes are tender.
• Remove bay leaf and thyme stems.
• Blend soup until smooth with immersion blender.
• Garnish with chives and black pepper.

Notes

Keep heat medium-low to prevent leeks from browning. Ensure potatoes are fork-tender before blending.