Culinary Explorer
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Leek and Potato Soup with Fresh Thyme
Created by Chef Ally
A velvet bowl of leeks and potatoes simmered until they surrender into one another, scented with garden thyme and finished with nothing more than good butter and a pinch of salt.
Start with the leeks. They should feel heavy and firm, with tight white bases and pale green leaves that have not yellowed or dried. This is late autumn and winter food, the kind of dish that belongs to cold evenings and the smell of something warm on the stove.
In France, this soup appears on tables from Brittany to Burgundy, and every cook makes it slightly differently. Some blend it smooth. Others leave it rough. Some add cream. I prefer almost none, because the leeks and potatoes, when cooked properly, create their own silky texture. The starch from the potatoes thickens the broth. The leeks melt into sweetness. You do not need to mask what is already perfect.
The thyme matters. Fresh thyme from a garden or a good market will perfume the whole pot in a way dried herbs cannot. Strip the leaves and add them at the end, so they keep their aliveness. This is not about precision. It is about paying attention to what the vegetables are doing and getting out of their way.
Ingredients
leeks
Quantity
2 pounds (about 4 large)
white and light green parts only, halved lengthwise and sliced
unsalted butter
Quantity
4 tablespoons
Yukon Gold potatoes
Quantity
1 1/2 pounds
peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| leekswhite and light green parts only, halved lengthwise and sliced | 2 pounds (about 4 large) |
| unsalted butter | 4 tablespoons |
| Yukon Gold potatoespeeled and cut into 1-inch pieces | 1 1/2 pounds |
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