It's Friday So It Must Be Soup! Feb 22 I sense a potato situation

Last week I made baked potato soup and it was a huge hit, especially with Little Shack so I decided to keep with the potato trend and make him a simple Potato Leek Soup. I was inspired by this fabulous zuppa di porri and even thought this isn't the soup I ended up making (but I plan to), it did inspire me so I want to give him props. Since I am adding potato and, therefore, not doing the toasted bread and parmesan thing, I am making parmesan tuiles to serve on the soup. See? I am totally inspired by this guy's soup. Last week I made his risotto verde, and it was so delicious.




3 leeks, washed, halved and sliced thinly

4 tbls of butter or a mix of butter and olive oil

6 cups of chicken stock (made yesterday with my 9cent bag of chicken bones)

4 med sized yukon gold potatoes cut up however you see fit. I wanted thinner, small slices as opposed to cubes. As long as they are cut up uniformly, it doesn't really matter

2 bay leaves

a good grind of fresh pepper and kosher salt to taste

cut the rough dark green ends off the leeks. Slice in half, length wise, rinse and slice into thin slices. I like to slice them all and then swish them around in a big bowl of cold water, dump and refill with fresh water a few times before giving a final good rinse in a strainer. Some people like to clean their leeks before they slice. As long as there is no dirt remaining I don't care if you take them into the tub with you.

melt the butter or the butter and olive oil in a big pot over med heat. Add the leeks and turn the heat down a little bit and sauté over med-low for a good 15 minutes until they are really wilted and soft. Add the chicken stock and bay leaves and bring to a light boil over med heat, add the potatoes and let it simmer for at least 20 minutes. Don't let it come to a full boil.

You can add an herb that you like. I like thyme but really, its such a simple tasting soup that any herb that you like would probably work just fine. I like it really simple and to taste just of leek, butter and potato so I don't mess around with it all that much. I also will not puree this because I like to see my leeks and my potato slices in the soup.
Serve with parmesan tuiles


Parmesan Tuiles
Block of parmegiano reggiano

heat oven to 350F
for each tuile use about 3 tbls grated cheese. Place cookie sized mounds of grated cheese on a baking sheet lined with a silpat or parchment paper. Bake for about 10 minutes or until golden brown. Keep on eye on them the first time you do them. You don't want them to burn but you want them to be nice and crispy when they cool.
Let them cool for a minute after  you take them out of the oven and set aside on another tray with parchment until totally cool. You can get fancy and shape them by draping them over a rolling pin before they cool but they are fussy little things. Use right away (you can store them for up to 24 hrs in an airtight container)