Potage Parmentier - it's the first soup in Mastering the Art of French Cooking. It's the first recipe Julie Powell took on in Julie & Julia. So it's about time I got around to making it.
There's something about fall that makes me much more interested in cooking and being at home in general. So after work today rather than getting antsy about what to do with myself for the evening (Thursday night TV stinks and DK would certainly demand to watch the World Series) I stopped by Whole Foods, grabbed two leeks (how many leeks would I need?), a five-pound bag of potatoes, and made my way home to start dinner.
Oops. It turns out I bought WAAAAAAAAAY too many potatoes and barely enough leeks; I guess that's what you get when you don't read the recipe first. So I cubed my potatoes and "thinly sliced" my leeks, tossed everything into a pot with 2 quarts of water and 1 tablespoon of salt. 50 minutes and one whir of the immersion blender* later, I was slurping down some pretty darn good soup!
I'd post a picture, but my camera is in China with my dad, who is there on vacation (!) for a week with his brother.
A tip: this is not the recipe for you if you don't like chopping. I have the best knife on the planet so I actually really enjoy chopping, making the prep for this recipe a breeze.
Potage Parmentier, adapted from Mastering the Art of French Cooking
3 to 4 cups peeled potatoes, sliced or diced
3 cups thinly sliced leeks, including the tender green
2 quarts of water
1 tb salt
2 to 3 tb butter
Simmer everything, partially covered, for 40 to 50 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. Pass the soup through a food mill. Turn off the heat and stir in the butter. Serve with minced parsley, chives, or a grind of fresh pepper.
*Julia and Simone say: "Although we are enthusiastic supporters of blenders and food processors, we almost invariably prefer a vegetable mill when soups are to be pureed." Well I used the immersion blender anyway, being careful not to over-process my soup. It was wonderful. I wouldn't ordinarily go against Julia's wishes, but I don't have a food mill, nor the funds to buy one, so the immersion blender will have to do.
