Jennifer's Week Forty-Three Recipe: Potato and Leek Soup

Last year for my birthday, Chad and Erik gave me an immersion blender as my gift. It was what I wanted! The poor thing spent 11 months in the box waiting to be used. I could never decide on a recipe! I wanted it to be something my guys would eat. This week, I was determined to put my newest kitchen device to use!


Potato and Leek Soup

1 large or 2 small leeks (about 1 pound)
2 bay leaves
20 black peppercorns
4 sprigs fresh thyme
2 tablespoons butter
2 strips bacon, chopped
1/2 cup dry white wine
5 cups chicken stock
1 to 1 1/4 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and diced
1 teaspoon salt (I omitted this. With the stock and the bacon, I felt it was salty enough)
3/4 teaspoon white pepper
1/2 cup to 3/4 cup creme fraiche or heavy cream
2 tablespoons snipped chives


Trim the green portions of the leek and, using 2 of the largest and longest leaves, make a bouquet garni by folding the 2 leaves around the bay leaves, peppercorns and thyme. Tie into a package-shaped bundle with kitchen twine and set aside. (Alternately, tie 2 leek leaves, bay leaves, peppercorns and thyme together in a piece of cheesecloth.)

Using a sharp knife, halve the white part of the leek lengthwise and rinse well under cold running water to rid the leek of any sand. Slice thinly crosswise and set aside.

In a large soup pot over medium heat, melt the butter and add the bacon. Cook for 5 to 6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the bacon is very soft and has rendered most of its fat. Add the chopped leeks and cook until wilted, about 5 minutes. Add the wine and bring to a boil. Add the reserved bouquet garni, chicken stock, potatoes, salt and white pepper, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes, or until the potatoes are falling apart and the soup is very flavorful.

Remove the bouquet garni and, working in batches, puree the soup in a food processor or blender. (Alternately, if you own an immersion blender, puree the soup directly in the pot.) Stir in the creme fraiche and adjust the seasoning, if necessary. Serve immediately, with some of the snipped chives sprinkled over the top of each bowl of soup.


Will I make this again? I actually doubled the recipe, so we have more for another meal in the future. Chad and I loved it and Erik liked it at first but then changed his mind. I think the boy will grow to like it.

Chad's Guest Recipe: Heart-Attack Potatoes

In our household, we split the cooking about 60/40, with me being the slightly higher number. We both have our standards, but I do tend to branch out more than Chad (this blog, of course, sort of forces that). This is Chad's latest creation. I can't remember which one of us named this recipe.

The following amounts were used for dinner tonight. Three potato-loving adults did not even come close to finishing this amount. (Chad bought 7 pounds of potatoes thinking that was what we would need!)

Heart-Attack Potatoes

4 pounds of potatoes; unpeeled, sliced into eighths and then sliced thin

1 sweet onion, diced

1 stick butter

salt and pepper

Melt the butter in a pan and then add the potatoes and onion. Cook over medium to medium-high heat until the potatoes and onions are thoroughly cooked. Then crank up the heat to high and crisp up the potatoes, flipping frequently so they don't burn.

Karin's Week Nineteen Recipe: Ramps 'n' Taters

Last year we had discovered ramps at our local Farmer's Market, and loved the way they tasted. What are ramps, you ask? They are sort of like a combination of leeks and green onions.  They can be called Wild Leeks, and are only available in the early spring. This year, we saw them again, and I decided to look for a recipe to use them with. I found several, but this seemed the easiest and I had all ingredients on hand.

Ramps 'n' Taters

4 or 5 large potatoes, diced
1 lb bacon
1.5 lb ramps, cleaned and cut up (we used about 13, and only the white bits)
6 eggs, beaten
salt and pepper

Fry the bacon in a large skillet until crispy. Remove from pan and set aside. Fry diced potatoes in bacon grease for 3-4 minutes, then add ramps, and cook until potatoes are done. Add eggs and scramble with potato mixture. Place bacon on top, and simmer for 2 minutes until heated through.

This was excellent. And easy. And tasty. Although, we did take out about 1/2 the bacon fat before putting the eggs in, as otherwise I think we'd have had bacon grease soup. And we crumbled the bacon into the pan at the end. We had this for a weekend breakfast, and would definitely make it again. It also reheats well in the microwave, if you can't finish it all in one sitting. There was also discussion that this would make a great camping breakfast, using green onions instead of the ramps. I think the camping version may be trialled later this summer...

Karin's Week Thirteen Recipe: Potatoes Lyonnaise

This recipe was mostly chosen by Nate.  He wanted a potato dish that was made with slices of potato and butter to go with the giant ham that I was baking for Friday dinner.  This fit, and also had onions to boot.  It's from the Test Kitchen Favorites 2007 cookbook accompaniment to the America's Test Kitchen TV show on PBS. The show tests not only recipes, but kitchen equipment too.  The cookbook shares some of their findings.  This recipe is supposed to be an easier-to-make take on a classic French potato recipe.  I did look in my Julia cookbooks to see what she had to say, and sadly it was not in there, so I couldn't compare the two. Make sure to read this all the way through before starting, as you have to do somethings simultaneously.

Potatoes Lyonnaise

3 T unsalted butter
1 large onion (about 14oz, or smaller ones to equal such), halved pole to pole and sliced 1/4 in thick
3/4 tsp Kosher salt or 1/2 tsp table salt (I used the salt grinder)
2 T water
1.5 lb medium Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and sliced crosswise into 1/4in rounds*
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 T minced fresh parsley (I forgot to use this)

*The cookbook is very specific on the type of potato. They say that Russets will not work right, so I made a special trip to get the Yukon Golds.

1. Heat 1 T of butter in a nonstick skillet (I used our cast iron pan) over med-high heat. When the foaming subdies, add the onion and 1/4tsp of salt and stir to coat; cook stirring occasionally, until the onions begin to soften, about 3 min. Reduce the heat to med and cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until the onions are light brown and soft, about 12 min longer, deglazing with water when the pan gets dry, about halfway thru the cooking time. (I didn't use any water, and also forgot to cover the pan. My onions stayed moist.) Transfer to a bowl, and cover. Don't wash the pan.

2. While the onions cook, microwave 1 T of butter on high power in a large bowl until melted. Add the potatoes to the bowl and toss to coat with the butter. Microwave on high power until the potatoes just start to turn tender (aka bendy), about 6 minutres, tossing halfway thru the cooking time. Set aside.

3. Melt 1 T of butter in the onion skillet over med-high heat. When the foaming subsides, add the potatoes and shake the skillet to distribute evenly. Cook, without stirring, until browned on the bottom, about 3 min. Using a spatula, stir the potatoes carefully and continue to cook, stirring every 2 to 3 min until the potatoes are well browned and tender, 8-10 min more. Sprinkle with remaining salt and pepper.

4. Add the onions back in to the skillet and stir to combine. Cook until the onions are heated thru and the flavors have melded, 1-2 min. Transfer to a large plate, sprinkle with parsley and serve.

This was a pretty quick dish to make, and all eating it liked it quite a bit, especially the onions. I thought it could've used a bit more seasoning, such as garlic. Either way, it was a great way to use up potatoes and onions, especially if you have the Yukon Golds on hand. I'd probably make this again.