Not Your Irish Potato Soup

There is nothing more comforting on cool fall nights than the smell of soup cooking on the stove. Soup is the most nourishing of foods, a distillation of your garden’s goodness. Soup is also the most forgiving food to make, since proportions can easily be adjusted to taste.

Ingredients

• 1/2 stick unsalted butter
• 3 – 4 Idaho russet potatoes – chopped
• 1 medium onion – chopped
• 2 cloves garlic – chopped
• 3 leeks, white parts and light green – chopped
• 1 Quart chicken stock
• ½ Cup cream
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

In a large soup pot, melt the butter and add the onions, leeks, garlic, and thyme. Stir until the onions begin to soften – do not let them brown. Next, add the potatoes and stock and simmer until the potatoes are soft. Add the cream at the end and then salt and pepper to taste.

Blend the soup with an immersion blender or food processer. Put the soup back into the pot and thin to desired consistency with additional warm stock or cream.

Serve with ‘baked potato toppings’ like bacon, green onions, chives, and cheddar or cream cheese. Enjoy this on a cold fall evening with a glass of Cabernet Franc – a suitably rustic choice for this earthy dish.