Author Notes
This soup started with the desire to make potato leek soup, but all I had on hand were sweet potatoes. It could very easily be vegan if you replaced the butter with a vegetable-based cooking fat (but man, do I love me some butter). —michael wilsker
Ingredients
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3
large leeks, cleaned and trimmed, halved, and sliced into 1/2" pieces.
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3
sweet potatoes. peeled, cut into approx. 1/2" cubes
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8 cups
vegetable broth (chicken broth okay)
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1 teaspoon
dried basil
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4
cloves of garlic, coarse chop.
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1
dried bay leaf
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1.5 tablespoons
butter
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1.5 tablespoons
olive oil
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.5 teaspoons
kosher salt
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1/3 cup
coconut milk
Directions
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In a heavy pot (I used a cast iron dutch oven), heat the butter over medium high heat until it melts and then bubbles. Add the olive oil and allow it to heat for approximately 10-15 seconds.
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Once the oil has heated, add the leeks and stir to coat with the butter/oil mixture. Stir in the salt. Saute the leeks, stirring occasionally until they're soft but not browning, approx. 10 minutes.
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Add the potatoes, the stock, the coconut milk, the basil and the bay leaf, stir, and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat and allow to simmer until the potatoes are cooked through, about 15 minutes.
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Remove the bay leaf. (it's much harder to do this step after you've blended the soup.)
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Once potatoes are cooked through, reduce heat to low, and, using an immersion blender, puree the soup until it's mostly smooth but with a slightly chunky texture.
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Continue simmering over medium heat until the soup thickens to your liking, at least 10 minutes is recommended (mine took about 30).
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Season with salt and fresh ground pepper to taste.
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Serve at your leisure. It goes well underneath a dollop of greek yogurt and finely chopped green onions.
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