In 2004 I was living in Wisconsin and one day was eating lunch at work with a co-worker who grew up in Denmark. She had a very delicious-smelling soup that I had never seen before. She offered me a taste and said it was called Vichyssoise.

I wanted to know more and learned that it’s a pureed soup made with potatoes, leeks, and cream. In Europe it might be eaten cold but my co-worker preferred it heated up.

Once she told me how to make it I had to try it for myself. It was quite easy to make and turned out to be popular with my family.

I haven’t made this recipe for many years now, but re-discovered it recently and decided it would be a good use of the potatoes and leeks I have on hand. This soup — which apparently has origins in France — is one of my favorites and I am sure that you will like it too.

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup unsalted butter
• 1 3/4 cup leeks, small dice
• 1/2 cup yellow onion, small dice
• 1 3/4 cup potatoes, diced
• 2 tbsp. chicken flavored base
• 2 bay leaf
• 4 cups water
• 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
• 1/2 tsp. salt or to taste
• 1 cup heavy cream
• Green onion and parsley for garnish

Instructions

Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion and leeks to the pan. Cook for around 6-7 minutes or till the onions turn translucent.

Add chicken base, salt, ground black pepper and bay leaves. Stir well, then cook for 30-40 seconds.

Add potatoes and water, then stir very well. Cover and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat to medium-low.

Cook for 25-30 minutes or till potatoes soften. Stir in heavy cream, then simmer for another 5 minutes. Remove from the heat. Make sure to fish out the bay leaves. Purée the soup with an immersion blender or in a regular blender.

Be cautious while using hot liquids! Don’t overfill the blender. Purée until completely smooth. Taste, then garnish with cubed bread, green onion and parsley.

The soup might look thinner at first but it thickens as it cools. If you like thicker soup add cornstarch slurry (1 tablespoon cornstarch plus 1 tablespoon water).

Serves 4

Did you make this dish? I’d love to know how it turns out! Feel free to like this post and comment or use the hashtag #globaldinein on Instagram. If you would to be notified of upcoming posts, please consider subscribing to my blog!