cold weekends are good for slow cooking soups and bread baking. but what about dark weeknights.  less good for baking bread but still good for soups. even slow cooking soups, which are pretty low maintenance, can be great for weeknights.  get home, chop, chop, chop, saute, add liquid and forget about it for an hour.

don’t be fooled by how few ingredients are included here…more ingredients doesn’t always equal better/more flavor.

makes 6 servings
olive oil
3 cups leeks, trimmed, cleaned and thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
6 cups water
1 1/4 pounds potatoes
salt and pepper to taste

trim and clean leeks. i cut the leeks down the middle and put them in a sink full of water. it makes it easier to clean. i think julia child taught me this…

slice the leeks. add leeks and olive oil to a stock pot.  sweat leeks until tender, at least 10 minutes. add garlic and cook 5 more minutes. in the meantime, peel and dice potatoes. add potatoes and water and bring to a boil. turn down heat and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 30 minutes.

at this point you can salt and pepper to taste and either eat or puree. i use a hand blender and blend until smooth. when blended it really is the perfect consistency. not too thick, not too thin. optional: serve topped with dollop of creme fraiche, yogurt, or sour cream, and maybe a sprinkle of toasted cumin seeds or thyme.