The Potato Soup We Make On Repeat All Winter Long
Some recipes earn their place because everyone loves them. This is one of ours.
We only started making this potato soup at home last year, but it very quickly became one of those recipes that feels like it has always belonged here.
We made it over and over through the winter, and even pulled it out a few times during the summer, although this is really a cold-weather meal for us. It is particularly good on one of those days when you're cold right down to your bones. You start with leeks, olive oil and butter, and almost immediately the smell begins to fill the house. It's the kind of smell that makes anyone walking through the door wonder what's on the stove.
And then there is the fact that everyone actually likes it.
With an eight-year-old and an eleven-year-old, finding a dinner that gets an enthusiastic response from the entire family isn't necessarily an everyday occurrence. This one gets the right response every time! We put a pot of soup on the table with a crusty loaf of bread and everyone is happy to sit down and eat.
I discovered this soup not long ago when my uncle had made a huge pot, partly for my aunt and I, and partly for us to package up for my grandmother who was in the hospital recovering from a broken hip - it was her favourite. After spending a long day at the hospital visiting my grandmother, sitting down to a warm bowl of soup and some bread was exactly what I needed. It was simple and nourishing and completely satisfying before heading to bed for the night.
I think about that now when I make it for my own family. It's not a recipe that has been handed down through five generations or something I've been cooking since I was twenty. It's much less formal than that. It's simply a soup that people in my family loved, and one that has now found its way into my own family's routine.
I've made plenty of other homemade soups over the years. Some have been winners and some definitely haven't, but none has been as reliable a hit as this one. It's the combination that gets me: it's incredibly easy to make, and yet it gets the kind of response from my family that much more complicated dinners often don't. So when I'm thinking about making soup, this is almost always the one I come back to first.
It's also incredibly easy to pull together without much planning. When I have no idea what to make for dinner, this is something I can usually manage. As long as I have a leek — or can quickly grab one — most of what I need is already in the kitchen.
The soup itself is smooth and creamy without feeling heavy. I tend to add more potatoes because I like the broth a little thicker, but it's an easy recipe to adjust depending on what you prefer. We blend it until it's creamy, but never quite enough to get rid of every piece of potato. Finding one of those little chunks in your bowl is strangely satisfying — we joke that it's like finding a piece of gold in the soup.
We finish each bowl with a good sharp cheese grated over the top and some fresh parsley if we have it handy. In summer, that might mean parsley straight from the garden; during the colder months, it comes from the market. Add the crusty bread and that's really all it needs.
Our Favourite Potato & Leek Soup
Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
1 large leek, well washed and finely chopped
5–6 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into thin matchsticks
4 cups vegetable stock
1 cup water, plus more as needed
Salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper
Fresh parsley, chopped, for serving
A good sharp cheese, freshly grated, for serving
Method
Heat the olive oil and butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the chopped leek and cook gently for a few minutes, until it begins to soften.
Add the potatoes, vegetable stock and water, then season with salt and pepper. Bring everything to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer gently until the potatoes are very tender.
Blend the soup until smooth and creamy, but don't worry about getting every last piece of potato. We intentionally leave a few small pieces behind — they're everyone's favourite part.
Check the consistency before serving. I usually use five or six potatoes because I like a slightly thicker soup. If you prefer it lighter, start with four or five, and you can always add a little extra water or vegetable stock if the soup becomes thicker than you'd like.
Ladle into bowls and finish with freshly grated sharp cheese and chopped parsley. Serve with a crusty loaf of bread.
Last winter, we made this soup constantly. This fall, I already know we'll start again.
There are meals you make because they're quick, meals you make because they're healthy, and meals you make simply because you need to get something on the table. This has somehow become all of those things while also being a meal everyone genuinely looks forward to.
On a cold night, with the house smelling like leeks and butter and a warm bowl in front of you, it's hard to think of anything I'd rather eat.
*Note: This version is adapted from Jacques Pépin's Parisian Potage, a soup my uncle began making years ago and that eventually became a favourite in our family.