Leek and Potato Soup

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp. (1 oz.) lightly salted butter
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 medium onion, roughly diced
• 1 clove garlic finely chopped
• 4 cups (32 oz.) homemade chicken stock
• 2 lbs. potatoes, peeled and diced into 1 inch cubes
• 3 large leeks or 6 small (large are about 1 inch thick) washed and roughly chopped
• 2 whole bay leaves
• Salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
• Water to adjust consistency at the end
• 1 cup (8 oz.) heavy cream, lightly whipped (optional)
• 2 tbsp. finely chopped chives (optional)

Steps

1. 1In 4-quart heavy-bottomed saucepan, melt butter and oil, and add the onion and garlic. After 5 minutes the onions will be translucent. Add stock, potatoes, leeks, and bay leaves. Turn up the heat and bring to a boil, reduce heat to a rolling simmer for 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are soft. Remove from heat and allow to cool, remove bay leaves, and put in blender a little at a time. If you fill the blender's container more than half full, you could wind up washing your English soup off the wall!
2. 2Once blended, return soup to saucepan and add salt and pepper to your taste. Correct thickness by adding water so that you get the consistency of slightly whipped heavy cream. At this stage you can freeze the soup for up to three months.
3. 3Serve either hot or chilled. (Only have had it hot.) When you are ready to serve, place in each soup dish two tbsp. heavy cream and ladle on a portion of soup. Sprinkle on the surface of each portion about a tsp. of the chives.
4. 4You can change the taste of this soup by adding other background vegetables such as celery, carrots, turnips, and swede (English for rutabaga), but you will probably need to pass the soup through a sieve after you have blended. If you want a greener soup, add more