(Potato Leek Soup with baguette and Pimm’s on ice)

You know what sucks? Being poor and trying to eat well.  Do you know what’s cool for broke people?  French cuisine.  Read up on Pepin, he’ll tell you.  I’m not lying, the French take the lower level of vegetables and make them god-like.  I’m fine with that.  And if you don’t know how to shop on a budget, this essay does a damn fine job of pointing you the right way.

My potato leek soup, or vichyssoise, deviates a small bit from the norm in that I didn’t use cream and of course I used bacon.  The bacon gives it that smokey, salty taste that really hits a high note in harmony with the creaminess of the potato.

Immersion Hoooooo!

Potato Leek Soup - (serves 4-6)

2 lbs baking potatoes

2 lbs Leeks (about 3 med-small leeks)

1 1/2 tablespoon salt

5 slices of bacon

6 tlbsp unsalted butter

1 tsp. cayenne

Directions:

Peel and slice your potatoes in to small cubes, then put aside.  Cut the leek stalks where the white part ends and the green part begins, discard leaves.  Cut the leeks in half and soak pieces in water to wash off any sand or dirt that is collected. Then cut leeks into 1/2 inch pieces.

Cut bacon slices into small chunks (1/2 inch) and toss into large pot, along with butter.   Cook on medium high until the bacon fat is rendered into the butter, and then add your leeks. Turn down your burner to medium and and stir leaks, bacon and butter, for about 7 minutes.  Add your potatoes and stir, cooking for about 5 minutes.

Now just barely cover all of the ingredients with water and bring the water to a boil.   Add your salt to the soup and the cayenne and stir.  Bring the burner back down to simmer and put a lid on the pot for about 15 min.  Be sure and taste the soup to determine if it needs more salt, pepper etc.

Optional:  Using an immersion blender, or food processor, puree soup until creamy. If you’re using a food processor, you’ll have to do this in batches. It’s called vichyssoise and its debatable as to whether or not its really French.