Potato Leek Soup

Can't believe it has been so long since I posted! I'm so sorry! Like my mom has said in the past... even though there hasn't been an update, I've still been eating healthy and exercising. I got a new job that has kept me very busy (and very tired on my days off!!). Things are going well there, and I have a whole bunch of photos saved of food I've been preparing.

Today, I wanted to share some potato & leek soup. I first made this at Thanksgiving time. My hubs and my sisters in law really enjoyed the soup. Trav has even asked for the soup again a few times, so I knew it was time to make it again. It's a pretty easy thing to do, and soo very tasty.

Let's get started. I wonder how many of you could find a leek in a grocery store. For those of you who don't think you could, this is a leek. The darker green leafs get discarded. Begin by cutting the end off of the leek.

Then, cut it in half lengthwise.
Leeks are sort of infamous for having sand and grit inside them. Be very thorough when washing the leeks, and make sure that you get all of the sand out - that is not something you want to find in your food! Take one half at a time and rinse under cold water, separate the 'leaves' and give them a good washing! (I'm not sure if they're technically called leaves.....)
Place the cleaned leeks on the cutting board and start chopping. You want to chop all of the white and light green areas. Discard the darker parts. I used 3 leeks total for this recipe!
Next, get 2 pounds of potatoes and wash and peel them.
Chop up your peeled potatoes so they are equal in size.
Get a baking sheet and wrap in foil and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Place the potatoes and leeks on the baking sheet in a single layer. And like anything that I roast, I added a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. That is the secret for excellent taste in roasted food. Place in the oven at 400 degrees for 45 minutes.
About halfway through the cooking time, open the oven and move things around so they cook evenly.
When things are done, carefully transfer the roasted potatoes and leeks to a food processor, blender or your trusty VitaMix. :) Before you transfer, you can add a few handfuls of arugula and let it roast until wilted, 4-5 minutes. My hubby would not eat a soup with arugula in it, so I skipped that part, but how delicious does that sound??
You can use chicken stock, but I haven't found a chemical/preservative free chicken broth or stock in a store that I like, so I used Trader Joe's vegetable broth.
Pour a good amount of the broth in - I'm not exactly sure how many cups I used. I'm sorry, I should have measured! But probably 5 cups or so. Just keep adding the liquid until the ingredients are combined. You can also add a splash of white wine if you're feeling sassy.
Pour the blended mixture into a medium pot.
At this point, I added a little more broth to thin the soup out. Then I tasted - delicious! - and added a little more salt and pepper. I had a little cream left over from some homemade whipped cream I made so I added a little splash of that just to add a really rich note. You can absolutely skip this part - and if you want another option, you can put a little butter in, or do without all together.

This soup tastes wonderful and filling - and if you leave out the butter/cream, is really a very good option. Hope you enjoy!

Mary