Luscious Hot Or Cold

In winter, we serve this hot, and call it Potato Soup. In summer, we serve it cold and call it Vichyssoise. No matter the name, it is a perennial favorite. Recently, there has been a restaurant vogue for what is called “Baked Potato Soup.” That is this recipe, served hot with a dollop of Sour Cream, and sprinkles of both grated Cheese and chopped Chives.

This can be made the day before you intend to serve it, but cannot be frozen.

Cooked Potatoes become grainy in texture, when frozen. However, you can use commercially frozen raw Potatoes as a substitute for fresh ones. You can also lower the amount of Liquid, and make this from leftover Mashed Potatoes.

Ingredients

1 bottle White Wine
1 quart Water
2 tablespoons Mock-Chicken Bouillon Base
4 large Baking Potatoes, peeled and diced
4 Leeks (white part only), minced
1 cup minced Celery
1 large Onion, minced
1/2 cup minced Parsley
6 sprigs fresh Thyme
4 Bay Leaves
4 tablespoons Butter or Margarine
1 pint Heavy Cream, Non-dairy Creamer, or Sour Cream

Method

Place all ingredients, except the Cream, in a large pan with a lid. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Lower the heat, cover, and simmer whilst stirring occasionally for 30 minutes. Remove from heat.

The Soup must now be blended until it is smooth. The easiest way to do this is with a hand blender, if you have one. The traditional way is to put it through a sieve. A compromise is to put a couple of cups at a time in a blender, and process until smooth. Do NOT try to process more than 2 cups of soup at a time, because the liquid will rise when blended and leak all over the place, leaving an awful mess to clean. When the soup is smooth, stir in the Cream. This may be served hot or cold.