I’ll be honest. This was really, I think, Soup #1, but when Sarah came over that day late last winter, I was feeling all crazy (I guess?) and decided to throw some purple fingerling potatoes into the mix. Oh, we silly inventive cooks. The artist in me forgot about the whole transfer of color thing, and so Sarah ended up with a beautiful soup (made with waxy, gorgeous Yukon Golds) that she took home to show off, and I, on the other hand, was left with a purple-tinted, strange looking soup. Which we ate. But it was not fit for the photo shoot. I have made this soup time and time again since then, and it’s become the annoying soup I can never take a picture of. There’s the cooking in the evening and during the winter and spring it was just too dark too early to get any good natural light. So, with hopes to get a quick shot the next day, I would find that it was always whisked away in a packed lunch (Dave knows an opportunity when he sees one) or I was serving up leftovers to hungry people who didn’t have time to watch mommy be crazy with her camera.
Anyway, it’s like the chocolate chip cookie. Everyone has THE best recipe, but here’s my BEST recipe for potato soup. Why the best? I think it’s a favorite of so many because it’s really about the leeks. And leeks are divine. Also, a little trick of mine is not to add any cheese but a rind of Parmigiano Reggiano instead. It melts off slowly during the cooking, and gives the soup this amazing flavor you wouldn’t get if you were just throwing in grated cheese. I have piles of rinds in the back of my fridg, and I’d probably karate chop anyone who tried to do me a favor and throw them out. Rinds, friends, rinds are like gold. Hoard them and then use them.
