Staff Recipes: Jonica’s Potato Leek Soup!

Jonica Strongman, (right), is the Manager of the West Seattle Farmers Market.

This is a recipe for a potato leek soup that is usually eaten in combination with crab cakes, oyster stew, and a bunch of other side dishes on Christmas Eve in my family. It's also a super easy and cheap meal to make anytime during winter! My mom made this often when I was growing up.

Ingredients:

• 2 Leeks

• 1 onion

• several cloves garlic

• 2-3 lbs of potatoes

• Chicken or vegetable stock

• Madrona smoked pepper and salt (San Juan Island Sea Salt)

• heavy cream

Garnish: Chives/green onion, parmesan & bacon

Chop 2 leeks, 3 (or more!) cloves of garlic, and a small onion. Sauté leek, garlic and onion in a couple tablespoons of olive oil or butter until golden. 

Scrub potatoes well. Leave skins on or remove them (it's optional). Cube potatoes and add to pot. 

Add 4 cups stock (enough to cover) and bring to a simmer. Once soft, mash potatoes with potato masher leaving some chunks (if you like a completely smooth soup you could blend with an immersion blender).

Add smoked salt and smoked pepper to taste.

Turn off heat and add 1/2 cup cream. 

Garnish with chives, parmesan, and bacon pieces.