Leek and Potato Soup--Variation of Julia and Jacques' Recipe

I had been wanting to make leek and potato soup. So I grabbed my trusty Julia Child and Jacques Pepin cookbook and made a few changes. Below is my edited version of their recipes. It is easy and delicious. Hope you enjoy it. Sorry if this appears in all caps, but blogger is not behaving for me.

INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoons olive oil

4 to 5 yukon gold potatoes (1 1/2 pounds), peeled and roughly chopped

3 or 4 large leeks (1 pound), and thinly sliced

4 cups light chicken stock or broth ( store bought is fine)

Kosher salt, to taste and pepper, to taste

1 cup onion chopped

1/2 cup heavy cream or whole milk ( optional  )

1/3 cup minced parsley or chives ( optional)

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat the oil in a large (6-plus quart) stockpot or dutch oven over medium heat. Add the leek and onion. . Cook 5 minutes on medium. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables have begun to soften. Add stock and potatoes. Bring to boil and turn down to medium boil, cover and continue for 20 minutes or  until the vegetables are tender.
2. Blend until smooth, either using an immersion blender or by carefully transferring to a blender in batches.
3. Add the cream/milk, and season to taste with salt (start with 1/2 teaspoon and go from there, tasting frequently).  Add pepper.
4. Ladle into bowls, and garnish with parsley or chives. This freezes well. 

Also I added turkey in my bowl for lunch today. Frankly you can take liberties with this soup by adding other vegetables that have been cooked. It is a great starter base that will let you ad other items. Ham would be great!