Leek and Potato Soup

On the weekend I noticed that my tarragon was starting to take over my herb garden so I decided it was time to trim it down and find a recipe to make use of it. I went to my trusty Bon Appetit cookbook (I must admit that I often go to the internet for recipes, but there is just something fun about going old-school and using a cookbook and I feel confident knowing the recipes were tested and published), looked in the index and found several recipes that contained tarragon, but the one that caught my eye was the Leek and Potato soup.

I went to my local farmer's market Saturday morning and picked up some fresh leeks and red-skinned potatoes and went to town on the soup. I think it took me a total of 1/2 hour to make this including a quick trip to the store to pick up the whipping cream while the soup was simmering.

The flavour of the soup was incredible; we couldn't get enough of it this weekend. I will definitely make this soup again because it had everything I could have hoped for - it was inexpensive, quick and simple to make and relatively healthy (less than 200 calories per serving). If you want to mix up the recipe a bit you could use skim or 1% milk and it would be even lower in the calorie department or you could blend it in your food processor if you prefer a smooth soup. Here is the recipe:

Leek, Potato, and Tarragon Soup (from The Bon Appetit Cookbook)

Ingredients

• 3 tbsp butter
• 2 cups chopped leeks (white and pale green parts only)
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, sliced
• 2 tbsp water
• 1/2 pound red-skinned potatoes, unpeeled, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• 4 cups low-salt chicken broth or vegetable broth
• 2 tsp chopped fresh tarragon
• 1/2 cup whipping cream
• 1/2 cup plain yogurt

Melt butter in heavy large pot over medium heat. Add leeks, onion, garlic, and 2 tbsp water. Cook until leeks are golden, about 10 minutes. Add potatoes and broth; bring to boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes. Mix in tarragon.

Stir in cream and yogurt into soup. Season soup to taste with salt and pepper.


Cooked and ready to add the cream and yogurt.


Voila- Ready to eat!