La Madeleine Potato Soup

(I love this soup and know you will, too!)

3 large leeks

1 med-large onion

3 tablespoons butter or vegetable oil

3 ribs celery

6-8 medium potatoes (or a few more, as needed)

dried parsley (2 tablespoons)

garlic powder (2 tablespoons)

dried thyme (1teaspoon +)

Caraway (optional)

Chicken bouillon or broth  (liquid 48 ounces; add more broth as needed)

Chicken bouillon cube (or two +, as needed for flavor)

Black pepper

Salt (to taste at end of cooking time)

Milk (not fat free) – quantity determined by soup consistency you prefer (2-4 cups??)

½ pint half and half 

Leeks:  Trim off the wilted end of the green  stalks and the white bulbs.  Using a knife, carefully slice each leek, lengthwise – almost all the way through.  Using your hands, pry the leek apart at the split and run water into the split area in order to wash any sand from the leeks.  Chop the leeks into small chunks/slices.  Onion:  Dice medium to fine. 

Celery:  Pull the “strings” from the celery.  Chop the celery into fairly small pieces.

 

 Scrub each potato under water until clean.  Chop each potato into ¾ inch to 1 inch pieces. 

(I like to leave the skin on the potato, but you can peal it off, as you prefer.) Put potatoes in medium sized soup pot.  Cover potatoes with water and boil on medium until fork tender.  Drain potatoes.  Set aside.  

Using the same soup pot, combine the butter/oil, leeks, onion, and celery.  On simmer, cook these ingredients until they are soft.  Add the potatoes, parsley, garlic powder, thyme, pepper.  Add enough liquid chicken bouillon to cover the potatoes and vegetables.Simmer these ingredients for approximately 1 hour.  Stir the bottom occasionally.  Add more liquid (chicken broth) to allow the mixture to simmer and cook. 

When the above ingredients are thoroughly cooked/tender, mash the ingredients in the pot.  I leave the potatoes fairly chunky.  You can do this or puree, as you prefer.   

Add milk and the half-and-half to the mixture until it reaches the consistency you like.  (Turn down the heat a little so the mixture won't burn on the bottom of the pan.) Taste for needed salt, pepper for flavor and/or other spice to enhance flavor, as you like it to taste.   (Sometimes, I add a splash of Worchestershire...just because.)