andouille potato-leek soup.
INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoons butter
14 ounces andouille sausage, sliced into rounds (or 1 link)
1 leek, cleaned and sliced into rounds, tough green tops removed
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 large russet potatoes, peeled and diced
4 cups chicken broth
4 sprigs thyme
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste
1 cup heavy whipping cream
RECIPE
Melt butter in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat.
Once hot, add the sausage. Brown the sausage, stirring occasionally, until sausage is deeply browned on both sides, about 5-10 minutes.
Once browned, add the leeks and stir until soft, about 3-4 minutes.
Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Add the potatoes, stir, then add the broth, pushing the potatoes down to submerge.
Add the thyme, then bring to a simmer and cook until potatoes are completely softened, about 20 minutes.
Remove the thyme leaves and mash the potatoes with a potato masher, avoiding the sausage while you mash. Potatoes should be soft enough to be mashed gently.
Once the soup is thick and almost paste like, add the heavy cream, salt, and pepper. Because sausage contains salt, don't add salt until the end, after the soup has simmered. You may not need any, depending on your sausage.
Stir well to combine, then remove from the heat and let thicken for 1-2 minutes.
Serve hot.
NOTES
To thicken, add 1/2 cup instant mashed potatoes to the pot. This may happen if there was too much broth in the pot or the potatoes didn't fully soften. The soup thickens as it cools, but the initial consistency should still be thick, not watery.
I know, this isn’t exactly re-inventing the wheel, but I decided long ago that not everything has to be. Any soup lover worth their salt has made potato leek soup, and honestly, it’s pretty foolproof even if you haven’t. It’s probably my go to (right behind zuppa toscana) and takes barely 30 minutes to make a ridiculously filling soup. I’m not kidding; we sat down to eat our bowls with sandwiches and barely touched the sandwiches.
It’s creamy, with just a whisper of onion flavor from the leek. You can customize it as much as you want — add extra onions, add bacon, different potatoes, different seasonings — and it’ll still be largely the same soup.
I like making mine with russet potatoes. I’ve read some other people swear by yukon gold, but I’m partial to the starchy texture of the russets. You can use either one; the only potato I wouldn’t recommend is red, because it’s very waxy and doesn’t break down smoothly.
Then, of course, the leeks. You can certainly just use regular yellow onions instead, but promise, it won’t be quite the same. Leeks are faintly garlicky and much less potent than other onions. Think of a scallion that lost some of its flavor. In a good way. Does that make sense?
My potato leek is enhanced (in my opinion) by super-caramelized andouille sausage. It just gives the soup a little more depth than the vegetarian version, plus a lot more protein and something to chew on (If you know me, you know I’m weird about mushy things). You don’t have to use andouille — The first time I made this, I threw in a mystery sausage from a client’s fridge that I can only assume was kielbasa.
Andouille is great for flavor, but I have also love smoked sausage and (confirmed) kielbasa. Anything that adds salt and deep, almost-beefy flavor.
Enjoy.
Serves: 4
Prep time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 30 minutes
leeks are large, so you’ll only need one. Russets go a long way, so you’ll likely only need 2 (maybe 3, if they’re small).
this is about how brown you want your sausage. this is how it gets that deep, meaty flavor.
almost called this “trust the process” soup because it honestly doesn’t look very good until the very end. this is about what it should look like after simmering.
Just like that, the soup is creamy and thick. This is what it should look like after adding cream - kind of yellow-white.