Vodka, Removable Noses, and Blustery Days

Here's the key word: Potatoes. Whether they are making Vodka, being the face of a childhood chocking-hazard toy (read: Mr. Potato Head), or being used in a savory soup to complement a blustery day, Potatoes seem to have the chameleon thing down. I thought I would experiment around with a few recipes for Potato-Leek soup I had and see what I could come up with. So here's another offering from this Culinary Pilgrim:

Potato Leek Soup

Chop, Chop, Chop

..and Chop

and sweat...

and simmer...

and puree...

and ENJOY.

2 Large Onions
3 Large Leeks
4 Cloves Garlic
4 lb. Red Potatoes
Olive Oil
Salt
Pepper
1/2 t. Cayenne
2 t. Chopped Rosemary
3 Q. Chicken Stock
1 C. half and half
***

Preheat oven to 425F. Chop potatoes and garlic, place in a casserole dish or cookie sheet, drizzle with olive oil and roast in the oven 30min. Meanwhile, chop onions and leeks and drizzle with a couple tablespoons olive oil in the bottom of a large stock pot. Cook 10-15min over Medium heat, until onions are translucent. Dump roasted potato mixture into stock pot with other veggies. Add 1 tsp. salt, 2 t. pepper, cayenne, rosemary, and stock. Bring to a boil and allow to simmer 30 min. In a food processor (working in small batches), or if you're lucky enough to have a stick immersion blender, puree the soup. Return soup to pot, add cream, and season to taste.

*** I happened to have a small handful of mushrooms that we going to go bad if I didn't use them, so I chopped them up and threw them in as well. A nice savory touch, but optional.