Aug 8, 20212 min read

Rustic Potato & Leek Soup

Updated: Apr 27, 2023

leak, soup, French, rustic, bread, potato, easy recipe, magazine, Lake Minnetonka,

This recipe has been featured in the Lake Minnetonka Magazine.

This classic French soup of of potato and leek is perfect for a warm summer or a cool, windy fall day. A recipe with the traditional potato, leek, and Court-Bouillon as well as a friendly touch of diced bacon to add a hint of smokiness.

This soup is sure to be a comfort on your table and easy to make. There is a stigma around French food that involves complicated sauces and methods. That can be true for many dishes, but not this one. You will learn how to create a very basic Court-Bouillon (a collection of vegetables, wine, and herb's) to add to your main ingredients, which are the star of the soup.

A soup commonly seen in the French countryside and even in Escoffier's le Guide Culinaire, it doesn't get any more French than this. I assure you, this is a nice, gentle introduction to French cooking!

For those unfamiliar with what a leek is, it's in the onion family. Does this mean your eyes will get a little watery? I'm afraid that may be the case. A good trick is to breathe through your mouth and not your nose when shredding leek or onion. You will be shredding the white part of the Leek for this recipe, but you can use the green leafy part in various stocks to add extra flavor.

leek, onion, onion soup, earthy, onion family, produce

It's a perfect balance, the leek providing earthiness, potato some heartiness, and some bacon for smokiness. All the elements work in perfect harmony.

But there is one last element left. We worked with our sommelier to find the perfect wine for this soup. For the Court-Boulion, you'll want to use a Belvino Pinot Grigio. This Italian wine is light-bodied with hints of pear and apple and is perfect for cooking this Soup. For the pairing, though, we recomend Seven Rings Chardonnay from Monterey, California. This wine starts with fruity notes of apple and pear but finishes crisp. What is key about this wine, though, is its buttery profile. This is French cooking, and along with that, there is a good amount of butter. We want to tie in notes from the wine in the soup.

We can't wait for you to try this soup and wine pairing, and know it'll be a very comforting soup for the end of summer and all of fall.

Cheers

Chef Olson

“The Flying Chef”