I’m counting down to Ina’s memoir release by sharing one favorite recipe daily from each of her 13 cookbooks! Six books down, seven to go. Next up is “Back to Basics,” the first of Ina’s cookbooks I ever owned.
Before embarking on this project, I had only tried a handful of Ina’s recipes. However, those few dishes were enough to convince me that Ina was the perfect mentor to teach me how to cook! One standout recipe was her Roasted Potato Leek Soup.
As Ina says in the headnote – she wanted to turn up the volume on vichyssoise – a classic chilled potato and leek soup.
She deepens the flavor by roasting the potatoes and leeks until they’re tender and golden. Then, she wilts arugula on top, adding a peppery note. After the roast, she deglazes the sheet pan to capture all the caramelized flavors before pureeing everything with chicken stock in a food processor.
To achieve an extra creamy texture, she incorporates heavy cream, crème fraîche (which was a new ingredient to me when I first made this), and grated Parmesan cheese.
The finishing touch – and my favorite part – are the homemade crispy fried shallots. These golden, savory morsels are so delicious that I could easily devour them by the handful!
Book: Back to Basics, page 63
Rating: 5/5
How Easy Is That: Easy
Store-Bought Is Fine: Creme fraiche
Pricey Ingredients: —
Hard-to-find: —
Recipe on FoodNetwork.com.
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