I had a couple of potatoes, a bunch of leeks, and half and half as well as garlic chives....what to make? Bingo, vichyssoise and salad from the garden.
I had some a couple of weeks ago when out to dinner with Martha and Sal after Martha and I played flute duets. We went to a french bistro around the corner from them and it was delicious. SO, I am attempting to duplicate that experience.
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First step, find a suitable recipe. I found Tony Bourdain's recipe from Les Halles, and I riffed on it. Didn't have heavy cream, and didn't have 8 leeks, but I muddled through.
Ingredients
3 leeks, white and light green parts, thoroughly cleaned
2 baking potatoes, peeled and cut into smallish cubes
2-3 T unsalted butter
1 quart chicken stock, divided
1 pt half and half
salt and pepper
freshly grated nutmeg
chopped chives, or garlic chives for garnish
Method
1. Steam the potatoes until they can be easily pierced with a knife or fork. Drain and hold aside.
2. In a pan large enough to hold all the ingredients, melt the butter and gently saute the leeks. You want to soften them, but not brown them. Salt and pepper them as they cook. When softened, add in the potato cubes and salt and pepper again. Mix well in the pan and add 2 cups of the stock. Bring to a gentle simmer and taste for seasoning. Remember, if you are serving this cold, then season it highly. If serving it hot, then season less so.
3. Remove pan from the heat and allow to cool slightly. Transfer contents of pan into a blender is small batches and blitz until smooth. Do not over blend, you will end up with wall paper paste. Pour blender contents into a container that can hold all of the ingredients.
4. Mix in the half and half, nutmeg, and any additional salt and pepper. Thin with the remaining stock as needed. Some potatoes are starchier than others so you may need all of the extra 2 cups of stock to get the consistency you want.
5. Chill. Ladle into bowls and garnish with chopped chives or chopped garlic chives.
