Celeriac-Leek-Potato Soup

Soup might seem like an unusual addition to Thanksgiving dinner but this soup, a favorite of market manager Nicki, is the perfect addition. To save time the day of, prepare the soup a day or two in advance and then reheat just before you’re ready to sit down for dinner.

Ingredients:

• 4 tbsp olive oil (or enough to liberally coat the bottom of your soup pan) *you could absolutely use butter instead here, or a mix of the two
• 2 large or 3 small leeks, dark green leaves removed
• 2 medium celeriac with tops
• 6 medium, starchy and golden-fleshed potatoes, about 1 lb., such as Yellow Finn or Nicola
• 8 sprigs fresh thyme
• 8 sprigs fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 4 cloves garlic
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Method:

1. Cut leeks lengthwise in half. With the cut side down, slice leeks into 1/2″ half-moon shapes. Put into a bowl of cold water and move them around with your hands until the rings separate. Let stand until the dirt has sunk to the bottom of the bowl, about five minutes.
2. Meanwhile, preheat a large soup pot with olive oil over medium heat.
3. Scoop leeks from the water (without the dirt!) and put in the pot.
4. Season with salt and pepper.
5. Turn heat to medium/low. You want the leeks to sweat or soften, not brown. Stir occasionally.
6. While leeks are cooking, roughly chop the garlic.
7. Rinse potatoes under water to remove any dirt. Cut into about 1″ pieces.
8. Peel celeriac until the white flesh appears. Cut into 3/4″ pieces.
9. Once the leeks are softened, about 10 minutes, add the garlic to the pan. Saute for 1 minute, stirring to distribute the garlic.
10. Add the potatoes and celeriac to the pan.
11. Season with salt and pepper and stir to combine.
12. Add whole thyme sprigs and enough cold water to cover the vegetables by 1″. Raise the heat to medium and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to low, cover the pan, and simmer gently until the potatoes and celeriac are fork tender.
13. Pick the parsley leaves off the stems. Pick an equal amount of celeriac leaves from the tops (total of each about 1/4 cup loosely packed). Add them to the soup pot and stir to combine.
14. Put the soup through a food mill on the medium blade setting, leaving behind the potato skins and thyme sprigs. (This is my preferred method, but you could easily mash the veggies by hand and push through a fine mesh strainer. I would not recommend a food processor as it can make the potatoes gummy from over processing)
15. Once the soup is totally smooth, taste for seasoning. Add salt and pepper if necessary.
    *At this point, if you’re feeling particularly fancy or having the Queen of England over for lunch, you could finish this soup by stirring in 1/2 cup of heavy cream. Or finish the bowls of soup with a dollop of crème fraiche or sour cream. I just pour it into my favorite mug, dip a piece of crusty baguette in it and sip away the cold winter months.