Potato and Leek Soup (Emeril's recipe)

There is nothin' better than a warming bowl of nutritious soup on a cool, wet, fall day.

Potato and leeks, totally fallish. Right? I used Emeril Lagasse's recipe. It was pretty darn easy (my kind of cooking!)

Cut up leeks and double wash them to get all the grit and dirt out.

God bless you Emeril. Butter and bacon! Cook bacon until soft and fat is rendered off.

Add clean and drained leeks to the cooked bacon. *For goodness sakes, don't drain the bacon fat!

I over cooked my bacon to a crisp by accident (I had to step away from the pan and change a diaper. Don't worry, I remembered to wash my hands.) 

So I decided to use the bacon for a garnish instead of keeping it in the pan. The hardest part is to keep from eating it all before the soup is done! (It was hard, ya'll!)

All the ingredients that will be added to the bacon, butter, leeks and potatoes. The white pepper really makes the dish delish.

Take your time when cooking down the leeks. Once they are soft, add the 1/2 cup of white wine and make sure to scrape all the yummy goodness the bacon left behind.

Add your diced potato to the leeks. Then add 5 cups of chicken stock (or veggie stock for you vegans), thyme, white pepper, black pepper, and 2 bay leaves.

Bring to a boil for a minute. Then turn the heat down to a simmer and let the potatoes cook for about 30 minutes.

A side note, if you don't have one of these spoon holders, you must get. Love this gadget! (Great stocking stuffer, ya'll!)

After 30 minutes the potatoes should be super soft. Taste the soup for seasoning. If all good, pull out the 2 bay leaves.

Add 1/2 cup of heavy cream (optional). Then blend with an immersion blender. Another great gadget that I love.

Garnish with bacon and chives if you have it and indulge. So dang good. The white pepper and black pepper really give it a kick and great layers of flavor.