Potato Leek Soup

Rich and thick and a wonderful way to enjoy new leeks and potatoes.

These leeks were split down the center and then cleaned thoroughly to remove the sand that hides in the layers.

There are many, many versions of this soup. You're basically sauteing leeks in butter, adding potatoes and broth, seasonings of your choice, and in most cases some sort of milk or cream. It helps to have an immersion blender like we have, to make it a creamy consistency without having to take a hot soup out of the pan and put it in a blender. I chose to leave a few chunks of potato.

Ingredients I used:
4 small leeks, cleaned well and sliced into small pieces
1 Tbs. butter
3 slices of bacon, chopped
1/3 C white wine
salt, pepper, 1 tsp. thyme, and one bay leaf
(DH said he thought tarragon would have been a good addition to the seasoning.)
1 1/2 lbs. potatoes, roughly diced (German Butterball)
4 C chicken broth - divided
1/3-1/2 C half and half

In a heavy saucepan (I use Le Creuset pots), saute the leeks, butter and bacon until the leeks are totally softened. Deglaze the pot with the wine, then add the seasonings, potatoes and 3C of the broth. Cook until the potatoes are tender, then blend all or most of the potato-leek mixture. Stir in the last cup of broth and the half and half until smooth. Taste and adjust the seasonings.

Shepard's Pie with Ale

Harvest time makes us head back to comfort food, and this baked meat pie is so good and so flexible. It's a great one to use with leftover meat, gravy, mashed potatoes and veggies. If you aren't into the beer, substitute beef stock.

Shepard's Pie with Ale
1 lb. ground turkey (or substitute another meat)
1 medium onion or a combo of onion and shallot, chopped
olive oil to coat pan
2-3 C chopped vegetables of your choice
1 bottle dark beer
1 pkg. gravy mix of your choice (I used brown.)
few dashes of Worcestershire sauce
salt and pepper to taste, plus any other herbs that sound good to you
4-6 servings mashed potatoes for the topping - fresh, leftover, or instant
1/2 C grated cheddar or other cheese

Heat oven to 350. Brown meat and onion/shallots in olive oil in a medium pan. Add vegetables and a little of the beer. Cover and cook until veggies are crisp tender. Then add remaining beer, gravy mix, Worcestershire, salt and pepper and any other seasonings. Cook for a few minutes until the gravy mix begins to thicken the filling a little. Pour into a greased casserole dish, spread mashed potatoes on top, sprinkle with the cheese, and put into oven for 30-45 minutes. Place a cookie sheet under the dish to catch any run over. Watch for light browning on your potatoes and the filling bubbling up. Hope it warms you through and through!