
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 40 minutes
ingredients
- 1 lb fresh leeks, cut into a rough dice
- 4 large Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cubed
- 3 cups chicken stock
- 1 large yellow onion, diced
- 3 tbs butter
- 2 tbs olive oil
- 1 1/2 tsp thyme
- 1 tsp ground mustard
- 2 tsp each, salt & pepper
- 3/4 tsp oregano
- 3 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 cup homemade croutons (use french baguette, or similar dense bread)
- (Optional) 1 1/2 tsp hot sauce
cooking instructions
- Prep leeks by removing root base and the very tops of the leaves, separating leaves, washing thoroughly and chopping into a rough dice
- Toss leeks in a large bowl with 1 tbs olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper
- Place in a single layer on a foil-covered cookie sheet
- Char leeks in the oven (broil setting at 425 degrees) for 7-8 minutes; be sure that they don’t get overdone!
- Remove from oven and set aside
- Peel, wash and cube potatoes
- Heat butter and 1 tbs olive oil in stock pot; add onions, salt, pepper, thyme, oregano, smoked paprika, mustard and garlic
- Stir over medium heat for about 5 minutes, until the onions are translucent
- Add in the leeks, potato and stock; simmer for about 30 minutes (until potatoes are fork tender)
- While soup simmers, dice bread into 1″ cubes, toss with 1 tbs olive oil
- Place in a single layer on the cookie sheet used for leeks; brown at 425 for about 5 minutes
- Serve in crocks garnished with croutons and a small drizzle of hot sauce, if desired
Variations: If desired, add 3/4 cup cooked, diced slab bacon. You can also substitute sweet potatoes or yams in place of potatoes.