Creamy Potato and Leek Soup

I have a confession to make: I don't really care for autumn. While everyone around me is celebrating the advent of crisp weather and cozy evenings by the fire, I am mourning the passing of summer. I am too busy dreading the impending short days and bitter cold to sing the praises of some colorful leaves that are  just going to blow away with the first stiff wind.

Someday (soon I hope) I'll move somewhere where I'll never have to think about about socks,  sweaters, or  long underwear again.  But until then,  I'll  make due with the only bright side of the dark half of the year: the food. 

For my  first seasonal dish of consolation I decided to make a creamy potato and leek soup. To avoid packing on layers of insulation around my midsection, I used just a tiny  bit of actual cream and made up the difference with plain Greek-style yogurt.  The soup was still thick and hearty, and the yogurt lent a very subtle and pleasant pungency to the soup. This is an easy dish that tastes even better the next day.

Creamy Potato and Leek Soup

• 2 leeks, tops removed and chopped fine
• 1 yellow onion, chopped fine
• 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 medium Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and diced  into 1/2 inch cubes
• 1/4 cup cream
• 3/4 cup Greek yogurt
• 3-4 cups vegetable broth 
• leaves from about 4-5 springs of thyme
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1tbsp butter
  
• salt and pepper, to taste

 In a stockpot, saute the leeks and onions in the olive oil and butter until soft. Add the garlic, 1/2 the thyme, and a pinch of sailt and pepper. Saute a few more minutes.

Add the potatoes and broth. (Add just enough broth to cover the potatoes plus about 1/4 of an inch.) 

Simmer  until the potatoes are tender. 

Taste the broth and season with thyme, salt, and pepper to taste.

Working in batches, do a rough puree of  3/4 of the soup in a food processor. 

Add the puree back to the soup and add the cream and yogurt. Stir well.

Bring back to a simmer and season to taste. 

I served my soup with homemade focaccia bread, the subject of a future post.