Potato and Leek Soup with Buttermilk and Lemon Oil

Potato Soup

I know it’s been a while, but it’s hard to cook without a kitchen….and when you’re living out of three homes. Last weekend, we finally made the move into our house! Prior to this, we were living partly out of my parents home, partly out of the home we just bought, and partly out of our townhome (an hour and a half away). Since I haven’t really been able to cook in the new kitchen yet due to appliance issues that have made my kitchen nonfunctional (will be  resolved asap), this recipe is one I made while living part-time at my parents house.

My dad gets the Wall Street Journal every morning. While I’m not very business savvy, I always enjoy the Personal Journal section. Part of the reason is that they always have intriguing health and cooking articles (my two passions). This recipe came from the Personal Journal section of the Wall Street Journal and was a request by my dad. It was  a bit of a shame that I could not find green garlic in the grocery store, but I think the recipe worked out just as well with leeks (and I love the smell of leeks cooking). It was definitely a great comfort food recipe, one that doesn’t take very much time at all and one that I will be returning to many times when the weather gets cold again.

Potato and Leek (originally Green Garlic)  Soup with Buttermilk and Lemon Oil

Ingredients
4 Tbsp butter
2 cups thinly sliced green garlic (one pound) or 3 cups thinlly sliced leeks
1 cup diced yellow onion
1 tsp salt
4 large waxy potatoes, cut into 1/4 inch cubes
4 cups water
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup chopped parsley
2 Tbsp creme fraiche
T Tbsp lemon olive oil or extra virgin olive oil

Directions:
Set a heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Add butter, green garlic or leeks and onions and season with salt. Cover and cook until soft, about 8 minutes.
Stir in the potatoes and cook for 2-3 minutes to warm.
Add water and buttermilk. Bring to a boil and simmir until potatoes are completely soft, about 25-30 minutes.
Mash soup with potato masher or a strong wire whisk until chunky.
Thin soup with additional awter or buttermilk if needed. Adjust seasoning with salt, pepper and garlic salt.
Stir in parsley.
Serve soup with dollop of creme fraiche if available and drizzle of oil.

Source: Chef Naomi Pomeroy of Beast in Portland restaurant via the Wall Street Journal