I appear to be going through a soup and sandwich phase. It works out great because I can make a beautiful soup in the Instant Pot and let it do its thing while making sandwiches, wraps or paninis… while it cooks. With winter coming my energy is low and my pain is high so I will play every trick in the foodie book to make life more delicious and easier. The inspiration for this recipe comes from Simply Happy Foodie.
You can of course just cook this on your stovetop! This recipe is so good that I hope you try it no matter what your kitchen situation is. Just give yourself more time to cook on the stovetop, probably at least 30 minutes after you add the potatoes.
The Ingredients
You will need: 2 tbsp olive oil, 3 tbsp butter, 4-5 large leeks cleaned and sliced into half moons (about 5-6 cups chopped), 2 cloves minced garlic, 2 tbsp flour, 4 cups chicken broth (enough to just cover the veggies), 1 bay leaf, 1 lb gold potatoes (peeled and cubed), 1/8 tsp freshly ground nutmeg, 3/4 cup half and half cream, chopped chives, sour cream, salt and pepper.
Directions
Press the sauté button on the Instant Pot. When the display reads “Hot” add oil and butter. Add leeks and stir.
Season with salt and pepper. Cook until soft, stirring occasionally. Add garlic, stir in and and cook for about 30 seconds.
Sprinkle flour over leeks and stir. Cook for 1-2 minutes.
Interjecting A Personal Note
I do not know if you heard in the foodie news lately that Campbell’s is struggling right now. I just wanted to say Campbell’s supported me. Now I support Campbell’s. Their all natural ready to use chicken broth helped speed up the process of soup-making as well ensure fantastic flavour.
Back To The Recipe
Stir in broth, scraping bottom of the pot to avoid burning.
Add bay leaf, potatoes and nutmeg. Season with salt and pepper. Stir. Put lid on and seal.
Press manual button and choose 7 minutes. Let pot naturally release the pressure for 15 minutes. Then manually release the remaining steam.
Purée using a regular or immersion blender. If you have a glass blender like I do you can add a stainless steel kitchen tool before adding the hot soup. It will help absorb the shock of the heat. Be careful not to over blend. Blend until just smooth.
I heated up the half and half cream in another big pot so I could add the purée to it without it bringing down the temperature. One more pot to clean but it was worth it.
Stir in half and half cream to the soup. Taste and adjust seasoning, if needed.
Foodie Results
Garnish with chopped chives and sour cream.
I have to say, this soup was pretty much perfection. It still takes some time to pressurize all that liquid but it is worth it. As I said before, this can easily be made on the stovetop instead and maybe in the same amount of time.
I love that this soup tasted perfectly balanced and was the right texture and consistency. The garnishes are a must, they add so much dimension.
Winter is really here. Right now the snow is gently falling like we are living in a snow globe. I usually hate winter but right now I am just so grateful to be able to make good food, be warm and so loved.
Your first photo is foodie perfection, Suzie!
Thank you so much Debra!!! I even made a quenelle with sour cream, can you believe it? Now those are some foodie skills.
yummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmy
It wwwwwaaaaaaaasssss!!!!!
I LOVE leek and potato soup, I like that yours has nutmeg in it! And sour cream is a MUST!!! Looks delicious. When I’m out of leeks, I often use green onions instead, when they’re on sale an in season I buy a ton of them and freeze them, they work very well in soups! Soup and sandwich nights are amazing comfort food nights!!!
You know Rain Frances, I wasn’t sure I was going to include the nutmeg but I am glad I did! I agree, sour cream is a must. Oh that’s a clever idea to use green onions instead of leeks, that is so smart, thank you for sharing that! Soup and sandwich nights are total comfort food nights.