The Best Potato & Leek Soup
I have been making and eating Potato and Leek Soup my entire life and I think this might be the best one I have tasted yet! (And I'm a Paddy so I know what I'm talking about when it comes to spuds). I decided to come up with a recipe for potato leek soup as I am trying to lose weight and I wanted a delicious low calorie option to have in the evenings, and low calories it is! It comes in at a very low 150 calories per portion so you can enjoy this one guilt free. The recipe turned out so good I think it will beat any high calorie comfort food you can think of. I have figured out that the secret to insanely good potato & leek soup is to bake the potato's before adding them to the pot, trust me, this tip will seriously up your soup game. There is no need to add cream, this soup is perfect without it. One piece of kit that will make your life easier is a stick blender, you can blend it in a normal blender but you'll have to do it in batches. It is easier to blend it while still in the pot. This dish goes great with a nice piece of crusty sourdough. To make it vegan swap the butter for another tablespoon of oil.
Ingredients
1kg large Red Waxy Potatos (Rooster are a good option)
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 medium leeks, washed and finely sliced (make sure to pull them apart before washing)
4 cloves of garlic
2 litres of stock
1 Tablespoon rapeseed Oil
25g butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
Chives or Parsley (for garnish if desired)
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 90 Minutes
Serves: 6 - 8 people (based on bowl size)
Calories: 150 Calories per portion (based on 8 portions)
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 200c.
Place the potatoes whole on a baking tray and bake for 60 minutes.
15 minutes before the spuds are done heat the oil and butter in a large, heavy bottomed pot and add the onions.
Fry the onions, stirring regularly until they are browned
Add the leeks and garlic to the pan and fry, stirring regularly for about 10 minutes.
The spuds should be finished by now so take them out of the oven and set them aside to cool for 5 minutes.
Add the stock to the leeks along with the salt and pepper and stir.
Turn down the heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
Roughly chop the baked potatoes and add to the pot.
Simmer for a further 10 minutes.
Use a stick blender to blend the soup, make sure it is nice and smooth.
Garnish with a sprinkle of chopped parsley or chives and a little drizzle of oil (leave out the oil if you want to keep it low calorie). Add a twist of black pepper to give it a kick)
