Potato Leek Soup

So nearly a decade ago now, when the Daddy and I first got married, and had moved to the cool, rainy wilds of the Pacific Northwest, I heard all about his German Mother's potato leek soup. I was always hearing about my MIL's food (he put up with a lot of scary food experimentation those first years! He still does. And he always eats it. He's a really good hubby that way...). I still do. Not that I blame him, she's an AH-MAZING cook. I've never had anything she's made that I didn't shovel down with gusto.

But at first, I turned my nose up at it - who eats leeks anyway? But then I had my first taste, and I was sold. Oh MAN was this soup good. It is the PERFECT winter comfort food. And it's loaded with carbs. And it has snosages. What's not to love?

So without further ado, here is my dear MIL's recipe.

German Potato Leek Soup

Approximately 5 lbs. potatoes, peeled and cubed (I generally get russet, but you can use pretty much any kind)
1 Kielbasa sausage, cut into small-ish pieces
1 large onion or 2 small ones, cut into small pieces
1 large carrot, diced or sliced (however you want to cut it - I prefer smaller pieces, so I generally dice it. :O)
2-3 leeks, thinly sliced and washed
1 package Knorr Leek Soup Mix (optional, just gives it a stronger leeky flavor)
Salt and pepper to taste
Dash of garlic powder

In a large pot, boil water and then place cubed potatoes and sliced carrots in the boiling (or almost boiling) water. Make certain there is not too much water - only an inch or so covering the tops of the potatoes will do. Add salt, pepper, and a dash of garlic powder.

While those are cooking, drop the cubed Kielbasa into saucepan. Brown them up nicely and set aside. Then in the SAME pan, drop in the onions with a little butter, on medium heat. Once the onions have just begun to caramelize (and being sure to scrape up all the good kielbasa drippings off the bottom of the pan), drop in the leeks. Allow them to reduce by half, stirring so they don't burn. Also salt and pepper them, if desired.

After the leeks and onions are reduced, add in the package of leek soup mix. Stir everything around so it is well coated with Kielbasa juice and leek soup mix. Take off heat and let rest for a minute.

While the leeks, onion and soup mix are "resting," take the boiling potatoes off the heat and then, using a  potato masher, mash the potatoes in the pot WITH the water still in it. It will be chunky, so just make sure to try to keep the chunks relatively small. After everything is mashed, replace it back on the heat, turned to medium or medium-low. Add in the Kielbasa and the leek-onion-soup mix. Stir well and continue cooking for another hour or so. Stir frequently so it doesn't burn.

Serve with a crusty bread of some kind and ENJOY!

This soup is ALWAYS better the next day, but we still love it the first day, too.

Yum!