in partnership with Le Creuset

Oh how I’ve always dreamed of owning a Le Creuset cobalt blue Dutch oven… and now that my dream has come true, I’m so delighted to cook with it. This pretty pot is the centerpiece of my kitchen! I totally adore it, but it’s not just because it’s pretty to look at. This pot has proved itself to be one of the best pieces of cookware I’ve used, oven mitts down!

Spring has arrived with all of the leeks cropping up at the farmers’ market, so it’s time to gather up potatoes with those leeks and make one of my favorite soups: potato leek soup, of course! And you know, it can last you a few days if you make it over the weekend, because I know you’ve got a busy week ahead. The kids will be happy and satisfied with this soup (and a salad if you can get them to eat it) so you can do other things instead of spending those few hours in the kitchen after a long work day. Honestly, in my opinion, this soup tastes better the next day, that’s if there’s any left in the pot!

And I must tell you something… it’s true. Le Creuset’s enameled cast iron cookware is the best. As I was making two batches of the potato leek soup, I employed my beautiful blue Le Creuset pot as well as its imposter (another brand, also blue, and also a Dutch oven pot). A side by side comparison of the soups cooking on the stove proved to be glaringly obvious: the Le Creuset pot cooked evenly as it conducted and retained the heat. Seriously, it was way superior to the other brand, and yep, my potato leek soup in the Le Creuset pot was pretty much perfection. The other batch in the imposter pot? Well, let’s say it wasn’t quite as good. I know, same ingredients, different pots, but the quality does make a difference.

The Factory to Table event here in Los Angeles just started today. I’ll be there on Saturday, and I cannot wait to see all of the colors! I love the blues, especially have my eye on the Sea Salt color. (If you want to get tickets for the sale, click here for details.)

Of course, I love all colors, but also like understated neutrals as well. Maybe something Meringue? The colors of Provence would go well with the blues and neutrals too.

SPRING LEEK & POTATO SOUP

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons tablespoon olive oil

• 3-4 leeks, white parts washed well and sliced thinly, green tops removed

• 3 large Yukon gold or yellow potatoes (about 2 lbs), peeled and roughly chopped

• 4 cups vegetable broth

• 1 large head garlic, roasted

• 1 cup plant-based milk, unsweetened plain

• 1/2 cup nutritional yeast

• 2 teaspoons sea salt

• fresh ground black pepper

• For topping: minced chives, halved baby potatoes, dollop of plain plant-based yogurt

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 375F.

2. Peel the outer husk off the garlic, slice off the top, drizzle a little olive oil over it, cover in foil and place on a roasting pan in oven. Roast for about 45 minutes or until soft and caramelized inside.

3. Peel potatoes and chop in smallish pieces.

4. Warm olive oil in soup pot over medium heat. Add the leeks and sauté, stirring occasionally, until leeks are translucent. Add the potatoes, sea salt, and pepper.

5. Add the vegetable broth into pot with potatoes and leeks, and bring all to a slow boil. Once boiling, reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes, or until the potatoes are very tender.

6. Turn off heat and allow to cool.

7. Remove the garlic from the oven. Squeeze out the roasted cloves of garlic from their skins and add them to the soup.

8. Stir in the plant-based milk.

9. Blend half a batch of the soup in a high-speed blender. Pour the blended batch into a separate clean soup pot. If you’d prefer a thicker soup texture with some chunks of potato, don’t over purée.

10. Blend the rest of the soup and add to the puréed batch in pot. If you want to use your Le Creuset Dutch oven pot for the finished soup, just pour all of the blended batch from the other pot into the Le Creuset pot.

11. Reheat the blended soup on medium low heat.

12. Stir in the nutritional yeast. Add sea salt and pepper to taste. If you’d like to add some cooked and halved baby potatoes (make extra and keep on side), stir some into the soup.

13. Serve the soup with garnish of chives and a dollop of plain plant-based yogurt.

    NOTE: If there are any soup leftovers, it will keep in an airtight container for up to a week or frozen for about a month. To reheat, thin the soup with extra veggie broth or a little water.