The Cascade Kitchen is a student-run food column that brings you budget-friendly recipes and cooking tips. Check back weekly for something new to try in the kitchen, or if you want to see your own recipe featured next, get started by reaching out to culture@ufvcascade.ca.
I’m not going to hide my appreciation for Alison Roman and her recipes. I’ve featured versions of them in this column before, and I had to feature one more since she published her recipe for potato leek soup in January. I’ve made it a handful of times with very positive feedback (from my partner). I haven’t made too many changes to Roman’s recipe; I just call for butter instead of oil, and halved baby potatoes instead of cubed Yukon Gold potatoes because I love extra potato skin.
This soup can stay in the fridge for up to three days max. (This is because of the cream in the soup, so try to eat it as quickly as possible because the longer you wait, the lumpier and uglier the soup will get.) Like Roman recommends, make sure to serve the soup with a garden of dill. You absolutely need fresh dill for this recipe — other herbs won’t be the same. I’ve made a few adjustments from Roman’s original recipe that work well for me, but feel free to reference her recipe too!
Cook time: 45 minutes. Serves: 4
Ingredients:
2 tbsp butter (salted or unsalted)
2 large leeks, chopped (use up all parts of the leek, from the white to dark green)
About 2 lbs baby potatoes, halved
Salt and pepper
6 cups vegetable broth (my favourite broth recipe can be found here from Glen and Friends Cooking)
1 head of leafy greens like kale or spinach, chopped (if you don’t have fresh ones on hand, frozen spinach also works great here)
1 tsp white wine vinegar
1/2 to 1/3 cup full-fat sour cream
1 bunch of green onions, sliced
1 bunch of fresh dill, chopped
Method:
- Toss butter, leeks, and potatoes in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Stir every now and again for about 8 minutes until leeks become slightly wilted.
- Pour in vegetable broth. Add plenty of salt and pepper and make sure to taste along the way. Place the lid on the pot and set heat to low. Cook undisturbed for 30 minutes.
- When your timer goes off, check to make sure the potatoes are well cooked. You can test this by using a wooden spoon to smash them along the side of the pot. Do this to a few more potato halves to make the soup thick.
- Turn the heat off and add the white wine vinegar and greens. Let the soup cool down just a bit before stirring in the sour cream so it doesn’t curdle.
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Now it’s time to eat! Ladle the soup into a large bowl, scoop a bit of sour cream on top, and add lots and lots of dill and green onions. Enjoy!
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Creamy potato leek soup. (Carissa Wiens)
