Potato Leek Soup {with Crispy Sage}

Potato Leek Soup with Crispy Sage is creamy and delicious.  With basic ingredients and minimum hands on cooking time, this soup has been added to my comfort food favorites list.

As with several other recipes on Lemony Thyme, when the instructions begin with melting butter in a pan, the first thing that comes to mind is adding fresh sage leaves.  Something magical happens when these two ingredients are slowly heated.  That magic became the base for this yummy soup.  Once the leaves are crisp, remove from the butter and reserve for a garnish.

If you haven’t cooked with leeks before the one thing you need to be sure to do is wash them thoroughly AFTER you slice them.  Dirt has a way of sneaking almost all the way through the length of the stalk, as shown in the picture below.  Remove the outer tough layer, then slice the white and pale green portion into 1/4-inch rings.  Simply fill a bowl full of water and drop in the sliced leeks, giving them a swirl to loosen the rings.  Strain and you are good to go.

Leeks have a wonderful mild onion taste and when sautéed they become slightly sweet and tender.  We sauté in the sage butter until tender, then add a bay leaf, chopped garlic, and lemony thyme sprigs and cook for another minute until the garlic is fragrant.

Diced potatoes come next, the signature ingredient that makes Potato Leek Soup so incredibly creamy and comforting.

Cover potatoes with warm broth and bring to a gentle simmer until they are fork tender, about 30 minutes.

Once the potatoes are tender, remove the bay leaf and thyme sprigs and add the cream.  Now, either transfer in batches to a blender or use an immersion blender and process until soup is creamy and smooth.  Season with salt & pepper to taste.

Potato Leek Soup topped with crispy sage leaves and a side of crusty bread makes this hearty enough for a meatless Monday meal.

The chilled version of this soup, called Vichyssoise, is wonderful served as an appetizer.  The subtle flavors of sage and lemony thyme come shining through when chilled.  Do yourself a favor and try it both ways.  Enjoy!

Potato Leek Soup {with Crispy Sage}

Libby with Lemony Thyme

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 50 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr

Servings 2

Ingredients

  

• 1 lg. or 2 small leeks whites & pale green only, sliced
• 1 lb. russet potatoes peeled and diced
• 2 Tbl. butter
• 6-8 fresh sage leaves
• 2 sprigs fresh lemony thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 garlic cloves chopped
• 2 cups vegetable or chicken broth
• 1/2 cup cream
• salt & white pepper to taste

Instructions

 

• Remove outer tough layer of leek; slice whites & pale green of leek into 1/4-inch rings, then place slices in a bowl of water. Gently swirl to loosen rings. Drain.
• Melt butter over medium-low heat in a 2 quart sauce pan. Add fresh sage and sauté for 5-7 minutes or until sage leaves become slightly crispy. Remove sage and reserve for garnish.
• Add leeks to butter and sauté until tender, about 10 minutes. Add bay leaf, garlic and thyme sprigs and cook an additional minute until garlic is fragrant.
• Add diced potatoes and broth and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 30 minutes. Remove bay leaf and thyme sprigs, then stir in cream until heated through. Remove from heat and blend either using an immersion blender, or carefully in batches in a traditional blender until creamy and smooth. Season with salt & pepper to taste.
• Serve warm, garnished with crispy sage leaves or served chilled.

Other recipes you might enjoy:

Steak & Potato Soup