My favorite winter soups

[condoleeza]

4. And this - Potato Leek

Basic Potato Leek Soup
Prep: 30 minutes Cook: 1 hour Servings: 8
Ingredients:
1/2 stick butter
6-8 Idaho potatoes, peeled, diced
2 medium leeks, sliced
4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
2 cups Half & Half
salt & pepper to taste
Directions:
In large pot, boil potatoes until fork tender
In soup pot, melt butter and lightly saute leeks until just starting to crisp
Add Stock and drained potatoes and simmer 20 minutes.
In batches, puree in a blender and return to pot.

Add 1/2 and 1/2 and let simmer 45 minutes.

Twists:
Add 2 heads of minced garlic when cooking leeks for great Potato Garlic Soup

After cooking, add 3/4 lb of sliced Sausage of choice

After cooking, add 1 lb of shredded cheese and let melt into the soup before serving (Asiago or parmesan are best, but cheddar is standard- any strong flavored cheese works)

Obviously – none of these recipes would be considered low fat.