slice & swirl: Roasted Potato Leek Soup

It baffles me that I haven't already blogged about this. Roasted Potato Leek Soup is my FAVORITE soup to make! So when John surprised me with a brand new Giada De Laurentiis food processor to replace the crappy old one I already had, I made my favorite soup by the fabulous Barefoot Contessa.

Something was majorly wrong with my old food processor. Whenever I used it, it smelled like burning metal. And then, no matter how careful I was with pouring the ingredients into the food processor bowl, it ALWAYS leaked out of the bottom! Always without fail!

Using GDL's food processor today was glorious! I didn't have to wipe down the base after I was done (because it didn't leak!), it didn't have a funny burning metal smell (no more second thoughts about whether or not I was poisoning my guests), and it was nice and quiet (professional grade is the way to go!). And although, I've made this soup more times than I can count, John said this is the best it's ever tasted, something about the texture being different from the other times.

I have to agree. LOVE this food processor! Did I mention it has suction cups on the bottom? No more worrying about your food processor bouncing off the counter!

Roasted Potato Leek Soup
From Ina Garten's recipe

2 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch chunks
4 cups chopped leeks, white and light green parts, cleaned of all sand (4 leeks)
1/4 cup good olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 cups baby arugula, lightly packed
1/2 cup dry white wine, plus extra for serving
6 to 7 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade
3/4 cup heavy cream
8 ounces creme fraiche
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan, plus extra for garnish

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Combine the potatoes and leeks on a sheet pan in a single layer. Add the olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and toss to coat the vegetables evenly. Roast for 40 to 45 minutes, turning them with a spatula a few times during cooking, until very tender. Add the arugula and toss to combine. Roast for 4 to 5 more minutes, until the arugula is wilted. Remove the pan from the oven and place over 2 burners. Stir in the wine and 1 cup of the chicken stock and cook over low heat, scraping up any crispy roasted bits sticking to the pan.

In batches, transfer the roasted vegetables to a food processor fitted with the steel blade, adding the pan liquid and about 5 cups of the chicken stock to make a puree. Pour the puree into a large pot or Dutch oven. Continue to puree the vegetables in batches until they're all done and combined in the large pot. Add enough of the remaining 1 to 2 cups of stock to make a thick soup. Add the cream, creme fraiche, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper and check the seasonings.

When ready to serve, reheat the soup gently and whisk in 2 tablespoons white wine and 1/4 cup of Parmesan. Serve hot with an extra grating of Parmesan.

My new food processor rocks!

To clean the leeks, slice off the dark, tough leaves. Then slice down the shaft of the leek and rinse under running water. (Helps to press the leeks into the bottom of the bowl to fan out the leek.