Foraged Potato Leek Soup

Jamie and I look forward to his soup each spring. It is seasonal - sure you can buy leeks at the store, but there's something about foraging for leeks in the woods that makes this soup special. It's also very easy. (As a note, we call them wild leeks, wild onions, ramps. Take your pick.)

3 T butter

1 garlic clove

6 cups foraged wild leeks (the hard part is cleaning them)

3 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes (peeled and chopped/diced)

chicken or vegetable broth (enough to cover the contents - about 4-6 cups)

2 bay leaves

1 T dried thyme

salt and pepper to taste

up to 1 cup heavy cream (optional)

Melt butter in pan (I like a Dutch oven). Add coarsely chopped garlic and leeks (you don't need to cut the leeks - you will use an immersion blender to mix everything in a little bit). Cook until quite fragrant (about 5 minutes). Add the potatoes, broth and spices. Cook on medium high covered for about 20-30 minutes (until potatoes are soft).

Remove the bay leaves and with the immersion blender, blend until no chunks remain.

Add heavy cream - up to one cup - if you are using. The Yukon Gold potatoes make the soup creamy on its own. The cream is a judgment call.​

Serve - or wait a day. The soup is even better the next day when all the ingredients have had time to meld.