I grow all the vegetables and herbs in this, and in the late fall/early winter on a real nasty day I love to make this soup. Leeks are the filet mignon of the onion family. It’s pure comfort food, not good for the arteries or your waist.
Leek and Potato Soup with Kale:
1 lb of bacon, chopped into 2 inch chunks
6 medium leeks (the storebought ones are usually large, 3 of those are enough)
1-2 tbsp dried celery leaves
2qt half-n-half
6 medium sized potatoes, diced
3 cups chopped kale
1/2 cup ground parmasean cheese
Pepper to taste
In a stock pot or similar size soup pot cook bacon chunks on low-medium till done but not completely crispy. While cooking bacon clean and prepare leeks by splitting them in half long ways then slicing 1/4 in. thick. Add to bacon when done and cook for a few minutes. Dice the potatoes 1/2 to 1 in., your choice. Chop the kale down to 1” or so pieces.
Add pepper to taste, then half-n-half, diced potatoes, kale, and parmasean. Add extra milk if needed to cover. Bring to a boil for about 5 minutes, turn off and let sit for 1/2 hour to soften the potatoes and kale, then serve.
I dry my own tomatoes and peppers, you can crush about a quarter cup of each and add when you put in the leeks. You can also include a 1/2 dozen leaves or so of fresh sage with that. and/or a few stalks of chopped celery when you put in the potatoes instead of kale. You can sub 1-2 pounds of sausage for the bacon.
Love your description of leeks! Filet mignon, indeed!