Potato Leek Soup

I guess I am on a bit of a soup kick.  This chilly weather and the easiness of just throwing a bunch of things together and leaving it on the stove is very appealing.  As the days get shorter, I have less and less motivation to do anything after work, so these soups are perfect.  Potato soup is very easy and you only need a handful of ingredients.  Of course I topped my soup off with some crispy pieces of bacon and it was the perfect compliment to the smooth texture of the soup.  This is definitely one of those meals that will get better as it sits in the fridge, so feel free to make extra.  The recipe below made quite a bit, but I know Blake and I will devour it all week.

P.S. Did I mention how perfect a nice cold glass of beer is for this meal? With the Tigers playing tonight, I had to give them a small shout out!

INGREDIENTS:

1 Lg Onion - diced
2 Carrots - diced
1 Leek - sliced
1-2 lbs. Yukon Gold Potatoes- diced
1 Lg. container Chicken or Veggie Stock
8 oz. Heavy Cream
1 Small bag Shredded Parmesan 
Salt and Pepper to taste
Bacon for topping

1.  Begin by cleaning the Leek.  You want to only use the white and light green part, so cut the top leaves off and discard them. Leeks tend to be very dirty since they have tons of crevices to catch dirt, so you will need to make sure you rinse them thoroughly.  After you cut the top leaves off, slice off the root and then cut the leek down the middle.  Rinse out each half, making sure to remove as much excess dirt as possible.

2.  Dice the onions and carrots and add to a pot with about 2 tbs. butter or oil.  Allow them to saute for a few minutes before adding the leeks.  After slicing the leeks (thinly), add them to the pot as well and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

3.  Allow the mixture to saute and become soft.  Once the veggie mixture has softened; add the diced potatoes.  When cutting the potatoes, make sure to cut them into bite size pieces.  You want them to easily fit onto a spoon.

4.  Fill the pot with the entire container of chicken stock.  It should just cover the potatoes.  Allow the soup to come to a boil until the potatoes are soft.  Once the potatoes are done cooking mash them up a bit with the back of your spoon to create some smoothness to the mixture.

5.  Add in 8 ounces of heavy cream, and allow the soup to simmer over low heat for 15-20 more minutes.  Before serving, stir in the bag of Parmesan cheese.  Taste the soup to determine if more salt and pepper is needed.  The Parmesan cheese tends to be quite salty, so make sure that you taste before you over salt your soup.

6.  Top with crispy bacon and some olive oil or more cheese and enjoy!