Vichyssoise or Potato Leek Soup Recipe ? Simplest Soup Ever

Go ahead, say it: “Vichyssoise” – sounds fancy and French, I know – but for a fancy sounding soup, this one is perhaps the simplest recipe we’ve posted yet. When making Vichyssoise, there are basically 4 ingredients – if you don’t count the salt and pepper (white pepper in this case), plus the cooking process is really easy too.

The soup is best served chilled in my opinion, but you can also serve it hot, but I’d omit the cream/milk in that case.  Another note on the soup is to puree it in your blender for a few minutes to ensure that you make it really smooth, giving it a really silky texture.  The starch in the potatoes will aid this process, but you’ll like the results for sure.  It’s one of those soups that you can make restaurant quality texture wise without much work at all.

Another great aspect of this soup is that it’s perfect for spring.  I like to make it with the first local new potatoes that you get at the market.  Leeks are also a good spring vegetable, and the combination is best served by this soup in my opinion.  Of course, I’d also highly recommend a homemade chicken broth if you have one available, but store bought is ok too, just make sure that it’s a low sodium broth.  Here’s how simple it can be:

Around 6-8 medium sized new potatoes (the ones with the red skin) – Peeled and quartered
2 large or 3 medium leeks – white and light green parts only – trimmed, washed and cut into half/quarter moon shapes
1 quart (~2.5 cups) chicken stock
1/4 cup light cream or 1/2 cup whole milk (optional and I recommend NOT using if you’re serving the soup hot)
1 clove garlic – lightly crushed and peeled (optional)
Salt to taste
Small dash of white pepper (1/2 tsp. but you can approximate)
Croutons – Crouton recipe here or here with Aimee’s Caesar Salad Recipe (optional)

Again, a totally easy preparation.  Start with peeling and chopping the potatoes. Heat the stock in a heavy bottomed pot until almost boiling, then add a few pinches of salt.  Add the potatoes and chopped leeks to the stock.  Add the garlic clove as well and let the mixture come to a boil.  Cook over medium/low heat for 15-20 minutes or until the potatoes are tender but not complete mush.

While the soup ingredients are cooking, prepare the croutons at this point to serve with the finished soup (see the other posts liked to above!!!).

Remove the garlic clove (or leave it if you want your soup garlicky).  Transfer the mixture to your blender and puree for 3-5 minutes, or until very smooth (taste it, you’ll know what I mean).  Add the white pepper and adjust the seasoning as necessary.  If you’re serving the soup hot, go ahead and plate it now and top with a few croutons.  If you’re serving it chilled (I recommend it!!), place the soup in the freezer or fridge until cold, then serve.  Top with croutons and enjoy!