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I love potatoes.

This should surprise absolutely no one.

Potatoes are cheap. Potatoes are filling. Potatoes are delicious. Potatoes mind their business. And there are approximately 47,000 ways to cook them.

So naturally, when I decided to make potato and leek soup, I wanted a version where the potato was very clearly running the show.

This recipe is adapted from the Potato-Leek Soup recipe by Kay Chu NYT Cooking. I used that recipe as my starting point, but made two pretty significant changes: I cut the amount of leeks in half, and I cut the cream in half.

Why?

Because I wanted potato soup with some leek in it.

Not leek soup where a potato happened to wander into the pot.

A Very Brief Word About Leeks

If you’ve never cooked with leeks before, they’re basically in the onion family, but they have a milder, slightly sweeter flavor.

They’re also dirty as hell.

Seriously.

Dirt gets trapped between all those layers, so don’t just rinse the outside and assume you’ve handled the situation. Slice them first, separate the pieces, and rinse them thoroughly. Otherwise, you may end up adding an unexpected ingredient to your soup: soil.

We don’t need that.

Why I Changed the Original Recipe

The original NYT Cooking recipe uses more leeks and more cream than I wanted.

I wanted something thicker, heartier, and much more potato-forward. I also didn’t want the soup to taste overwhelmingly creamy. I wanted the cream to make everything richer without turning the whole thing into a bowl of dairy.

So I used half the leeks and half the cream called for in the original recipe.

The result is exactly the kind of potato soup I wanted: creamy without being ridiculously heavy, flavorful without tasting aggressively onion-y, and full of actual potato flavor.

Basically, the potato gets top billing.

As it should.

Basic Ass Potato and Leek Soup

Ingredients

Use the ingredients and basic proportions from the original NYT Cooking Potato-Leek Soup recipe, with these changes:

• Use half the amount of leeks
• Use half the amount of cream
• Keep all those glorious potatoes

You’ll also need the remaining ingredients called for in the original recipe, including your broth, butter, seasonings, and aromatics.

How to Make It

1. Clean those leeks.

Slice your leeks and rinse them really well.

Remember: leeks are sneaky little dirt apartments. Get between those layers.

2. Cook the leeks.

Cook the leeks in butter until they’re soft and fragrant.

You’re not trying to aggressively brown them. We just want them softened and mellow so they’ll disappear nicely into the soup.

3. Add the potatoes and broth.

Add your potatoes and broth and let everything simmer until the potatoes are completely tender.

And I mean tender.

This is not the time for an al dente potato. Nobody wants to bite into a crunchy potato while eating creamy soup.

4. Smash or Blend it.

Once everything is nice and soft, smash or blend the soup until you reach the consistency you like.

You can make it completely smooth or leave a little texture.

I personally like potato soup that still feels substantial. I don’t need it blended into something I could drink through a straw.

5. Add the cream.

Now add your reduced amount of cream.

Remember, we’re using half the amount in the original recipe because we’re not trying to cover up our potatoes.

Stir everything together, taste it, and adjust your salt and pepper.

And that’s basically it.

The Result

This is the kind of soup I want when I want something warm and comforting without embarking on a three-hour culinary expedition.

The leeks give it a little sweetness and onion flavor. The cream gives it richness. But neither one hijacks the bowl.

And if you want to serve it with a big piece of crusty bread?

Obviously.

Because apparently potatoes weren’t enough carbohydrates and we’re adults who can make our own decisions.

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Recipe Credit: This recipe was adapted from Potato-Leek Soup by Kay Chun, published by NYT Cooking. My version reduces both the leeks and cream by half for a thicker, more potato-forward soup.

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