Creamy Potato and Leek Soup

Add the olive oil and leeks into a Dutch oven or other large stock pot and cook on medium low heat for approximately 10 minutes or until the leeks are translucent but not browned. Add the potatoes to the pot along with enough chicken stock to cover them. Bring to a boil and cook for approximately 20 minutes or until the potatoes are fork tender.

Working in batches, add the soup to a blender or food processor and puree. Be careful not to overfill the blender or the hot liquid will leak out of the blender. Puree most of the soup but leave some potato pieces intact, if you like. Place the soup back in the stock pot and turn the heat to medium. Add the milk and season with salt and pepper. Without the milk the soup will be extremely thick. Add more or less as you desire. The soup will also thicken in the refrigerator overnight so you can add more milk or water to thin it out to your desired consistency when you reheat it.

Garnish with your choice of croutons, bacon, cheddar cheese, scallions or chives.