This Potato and Leek Soup, a delicious French classic will surely warm up your soul.
As the days grow colder and the craving for comfort food intensifies, there's nothing quite like a hearty, homemade soup to soothe the soul. This classic Potato and Leek Soup combines the earthy richness of potatoes with the mild sweetness of leeks, resulting in a velvety-textured soup that is as comforting as it is delicious.
In this dish, I have added delicious, pan-fried croutons and crispy pancetta which elevates the dish to another level. Make a large batch of this and freeze them in airtight containers, which is a wonderful way to store for those days when you don't feel like spending hours in the kitchen. Packed full of flavour, this serious winter warmer will be on dinner rotation.
Potato and Leek Soup
(Serves 8)
Ingredients for Potato and Leek Soup
800g potatoes, washed, peeled and diced
2 leeks, stems removed and chopped
150g pancetta, diced
200ml cooking cream
4 cups of chicken broth or bone broth
1 onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
2 cups of water
1 tsp red pepper flakes
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Fresh herbs of thyme and rosemary bundled
Homemade croutons
Salt and pepper to season
Method for Potato and Leek Soup
In a large cast iron saucepan, heat a little olive oil and add the diced pancetta. Cook for 5-7 minutes until pancetta turns golden and crispy. Remove from the heat, drain on paper towels, and set aside.
In the same saucepan, add diced onions and garlic and cook for 5 minutes until onions are translucent and soft. A little tip, to scrape the bottom of the pan while the onions are cooking, to collect all the crispy bits from the cooked pancetta. This will give the soup lots of extra flavour.
Add leeks, red pepper flakes and herbs, stirring well and cooking for a further 5 minutes to allow the leeks to soften. Add potatoes, pour in chicken stock and water and season well with salt and pepper. Stir once more to combine and reduce the heat to low. Cover and allow to simmer for 20 minutes until the potatoes have softened.
Once the potatoes are soft, remove them from the heat and discard the herb bundle. Using a hand mixer to blend the ingredients, creating a thick consistency which will depend on your preference. Once you have reached the desired consistency, pour in the cream, reserving 1-3 cup for serving. Blitz once again for a few seconds to combine in the cream. Add the crispy pancetta to the soup, reserving a little for presentation, giving it a little stir with a wooden spoon to combine.
Serve in bowl with crispy pancetta, croutons, fresh thyme and black pepper.
Buon Appetito!