Roasted Potato and Leek Soup

Yes, I've posted a soup recipes this month already...BUT, I didn't post one in October so I am making up for lost times here! In November I posted Chicken Orzo Soup and oh that is one of the most comforting and warming soups ever. Earlier this month I posted Butternut Squash Soup with Cider Cream and I think it is impressive enough to serve as a first course to dinner guests.

This recipe for Roasted Potato Leek Soup is a combination of several recipes I found online. You know I love Ina Garten, and her recipe from Back to Basics looks like a GREAT one to follow. I also like this recipe from Simply Recipes, it looks rustic and very easy to pull together.

Here is what I did to make this scrumptious Roasted Potato Leek Soup: I started with five small yukon gold potatoes and left the skin on. Washed and scrubbed them, then cut into fourths. Spread on a rimmed baking sheet.

Chop the white parts (and a little of the green parts) from three leeks and clean very well. I recommend a salad spinner to make sure all the grit is out of there.

Add to the baking dish along with 4 garlic cloves and a large yellow onion chopped into chunks.

Toss with a tablespoon of olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. About a teaspoon of salt and a 1/2 teaspoon of pepper.

Preheat the oven to 400 and roast for 40 to 45 minutes, turning them with a spatula a few times during cooking, until very tender.

When done roasting, I put the baking sheet on the stove top and added a half cup of white wine, and used my spoon to scrape up any brown bits from the pan.

I didn't have chicken stock, so I used bouillon cubes to make four cups of chicken stock. All the roasted veggies go into the chicken stock in a saucepan over medium-high heat.

I added a few sprigs of thyme (because I had it) and let the soup heat and come to a boil. Once the soup came to a boil I removed the thyme stems and then off heat I used my immersion blender to puree the soup.

The last step is to make this soup extra creamy by adding 1/2 cup of mascarpone cheese and 1/2 cup of heavy whipping cream. Do a taste test and adjust seasoning if you need to.

This Roasted Potato and Leek Soup is rich and yummy. Perfect on a cold evening served with a crunchy loaf of bread and a great glass of wine.