Potato Leek Asparagus Soup #recipe @LucyBurdette

LUCY BURDETTE: Always on the hunt for a decent low-sodium soup, I decided to try a potato leek version. Lately I've been using Daily Pantry brand organic low-sodium chicken broth, and it's pretty good--more flavor than some of the others. I also planned to add celery, thyme, garlic and two bay leaves for extra zip. 

who could resist this?

And then John showed up with a lovely bunch of asparagus, so I took the thinnest stalks and sautéed them in a little more butter, to be sprinkled on the top with chopped chives. I'm not going to lie, the soup would be better with a half teaspoon of salt stirred in. But it was pretty darn good as is. And the folks who aren't worried about sodium can add salt at the table.

Ingredients

Three leeks
One clove garlic
Three stalks celery
Three large russet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
One large box good quality low-sodium chicken broth
Four ounces unsalted butter
Two sprigs of fresh thyme
Two bay leaves
4-6 stalks tender asparagus
Heavy cream
Fresh chives
Fresh ground pepper and salt to taste

Trim the leeks so you are working only with the white and palest green parts. Cut them in half lengthwise and wash them well, as there is nothing worse then grit in your soup. (Or suit, as my dictation program insisted. And that's probably true!) Chop the leeks along with the celery, and one or more cloves of garlic. Melt three tablespoons of butter in a large pot and add the chopped vegetables. When everything is well wilted, add the stock along with the chunks of peeled potato, the bay leaves, and the thyme.
Simmer until the potatoes are soft, 15 to 20 minutes. Then use your immersion blender to to purée the cooked mixture. You may leave some chunky sections if you like that texture. Add about a half cup heavy cream and stir that in. 

soup is so hard to photograph!

Serve the soup with the sautéed asparagus and chopped chives and freshly ground pepper on top.

We had a salad on the side, but you couldn't go wrong with a nice plate of biscuits or some crusty peasant bread.

The seventh Key West mystery, KILLER TAKEOUT, is on bookshelves everywhere. What about yours?

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