Rustic Leek, Potato & Bacon Soup

Contributed by Dan Blonde, avid gardener from Chatham Ontario, Canada
Hi, I'm Dan Blonde.  ​Leeks are one of my favourite vegetables to grow. I usually leave them growing until well into the fall and harvest just before the first hard frosts, in early December.  On a cold winter’s day I like to make this soup for weekend lunch. 

Ingredients:

  • 250 gm sliced bacon chopped into 2 mm pieces 

  • 30 ml unsalted butter 

  • 2kg chopped leeks (should yield about 2 litre) 

  • 15 ml all-purpose (plain) flour 

  • 1 kg roughly chopped peeled potatoes. (red skinned varieties are best) 

  • 1 litre of good quality chicken stock 
  • 1 bay leaf 

  • Salt and pepper to taste 


Method:

  1. Cook bacon until crisp in a large Dutch oven (casserole dish) . Remove bacon leaving fat behind. Reserve bacon bits to add back at the end 

  2. Over medium high heat melt butter together with bacon fat. 

  3. Add leaks and stir well to coat with the fat/butter mixture for about 2 minutes. 

  4. Reduce heat to medium low, cover pot and let leeks sweat for about 20 minutes until soft but 
not too mushy. Don’t let the leeks brown, they need to be just softened. 

  5. Increase heat to medium high, sprinkle flour over leek mixture and cook for about 2 minutes 
until flour is well melted. 

  6. Add stock, potatoes and bay leaf and bring to boil. 

  7. Reduce heat to medium low and let leek potato mixture simmer for 30 minutes or so until 
potatoes are tender. 

  8. Before serving remove bay leaf and add reserved bacon bits. 


I like this soup to be rustic in texture.  If you would prefer a smooth soup, remove the bay leaf and blend all the ingredients before adding back the bacon.

Enjoy with thick slices of crusty bread slathered with best butter.

​Leftovers can be frozen or refrigerated and reheated for several days.