I loved this soup. Each ingredient works so well with the others. I don’t know how it could be improved. Maybe pepitos would be good. However, the toasted almonds were perfect. I love the dill oil. I have some left and will try it on boiled redskins.

Leek and potato soup is proof of the existence of a divine power. Dill and toasted almonds? Now we’re talking! Gruyere = essentiale. Btw have you tried it with toasted pumpkin seeds?

Made this soup over the weekend and it turned out pretty well, despite my rough start! Processed half the leeks a little too much and came out a little creamy, which wasn’t bad. Garlic I didn’t slice and I didn’t have a masher or hand-puree for the potatoes! But still tasty, especially with the toppings. A very rustic and hearty flavor and certainly great the next day served over rice! Really enjoyed making this and will try to make again; see if I can get this down! Thanks! Love these recipes and the flow of ideas. Look forward to trying more recipes.

I love the idea of creating flavored oils by blending together oil and spices, rather than waiting for them to steep for weeks or having to buy them in the store. Great idea!

Those photo’s of Yosemite are gorgeous, and that soup look like just the thing to warm up with after being out in the snow.

great! so simple and so tasty, I’m really surprised!

This looks great, I just made your red lentil coconut soup & it’s wonderful. I couldn’t stop eating it!
@ethel, couldn’t you substitute cauliflower for the potatoes? They mash up well & take the flavor of the other ingredients well. I’ve seen them made into mock mashed potatoes, etc… (& cruciferous veggies are so healthy).

This is a favorite “go-to” recipe in our home, but thanks for the addition of the dill oil. I never thought of using dill in an oil like that, but I can think of so many uses for it

Hey Heidi…I have a question about the dill oil..how long does it stay..as in its shelf life. Can I store it at room temperature? Many thanks!
HS: I store mine in the refrigerator and take it out to warm up a bit when I start prepping to cook. I try to use mine up w/in a week or so.

I have to say, this really inspired me. I love the concept of flavored oils in soup! Plus, I live in Wisconsin and the bitter cold here calls for something flavorful, warm and comforting.

I love your blog! I’ve only recently discovered it, but have made several recipes, and they have all been excellent. I have shared this blog site with my friends, and they have many good comments too!
This recipe sound great. I love leeks, and I love soup, so this one is definitely in my future!
One question. I just made the Breton Buckwheat Cake, It came out terrific, but I was missing many of the ingredients so my version incorporated many changes. (I did have the buckwheat flour.) At what point do you think you’ve changed the recipe enough that you can really call it your own?

We love leeks and in a soup the unique leek flavor really shines.

Sounds absolutely divine! I will make it during our winter.

Ingredients were incredible; however, I did change the cooking method once the taters and garlic were added. Added a little bit of water to keep the scorching to a minimum, and kept them covered to cook a little faster. Thank you for your great ideas.

Heidi, I love your recipes…so forgiving and easy to use what’s on hand. (One of our household favs is the aspargus-cucumber-sprout salad with lemon dressing,) I had ran to the store to get some leeks and dill but forgot to check the qty needed. To the oil, I added the dill I picked up–prob 1/4 ounce, about as much flat-leafed parsely that I had on hand and a good handful of spinach with the tail end of my lemon-sea salt. Lovely oil.
Since i had more potato than leek, this became a potato-leak soup. I like the cook in the pot before stock–great idea. I added some celry and carrots–the celery mashed up like the leeks and potatos did, carrots mostly intact.
I used the chicken-veg stock I had on hand (I think this batch was chicken with some close to the end of life grape tomatoes, spinach, garlic, onion, carrots, celery, parsley.)
Very hearty and tasty–subtle overtones (or undertones?) of dill, leek…first meal was right out of the pot with some goat cheese. Second meal–breakfast this morning, crumbled some bacon and a little goat cheese.
Having a potluck with friends on Friday and have been told there better be some of the soup leftover!!

Dill is a great addition to all potato dishes. For a lower GI soup, use young sweet potatos. Old ones can be fibrous. Or use Kumera (orange sweet potatoes). The colour will be different of course; the green oil on the gold soup will look and taste wonderful

If this tastes half as good as it looks…yum..
245 below zero here today, so I am thinking soup should be on the menu!

I have one of your cookbooks, and happened upon your site by accident. Wonderful recipes and photos!

I love the soup bowl and the plate. They remind me of Lovejoy’s tea room. Of course your soup makes it look even better! I enjoyed looking at your Yosemite photos. 🙂

My first comment on your site. We don’t own a food processor, so for leek soup I’ve always used our criss-cross bottomed potato masher. It takes several minutes of tapping the bottom of the pan with a vague whisking motion, but the texture is very rustic and nice. I slice the leeks before cooking and you’re right about that fine grained dirt.

I sadly haven’t had soup in a while. This look like it should end the drought though! Any suggestions of a solid food to pair it with?

Great recipe, healthy, tasty, and delicious…

Dill oil, I’m so intrigued. I love dill but feel it gets shortchanged in the herbal hierarchy. Photos are beautiful.

The almonds push this dish over the edge. What a great addition!

I was searching for a farro risotto recipe and came across your blog. Your recipes look great, can’t wait to try them!

I made it for dinner tonight. But didn’t have a potato. So I made it with black eyed peas, after looking back at another one of your recipes for leeks and black eyed peas. Same technique, just no potato. Must go find where I put the potatoes…
http://curiosityandthecupcake.blogspot.com/2011/02/soup.html

This dill oil sounds amazing. I will have to tuck this recipe away until I can find some fresh dill. I agree with you leeks are a bugger to get clean, but worth it.
-Brenda

I just made Potato leek soup last night, before I found this! I have to say, it was pretty bland! I was crunched for time so just threw everything into a pot, added left over chicken fat from the night before, and a white sweet potato, but didn’t have time to crush fresh garlic gloves, and didn’t even think about making a dill oil to go with it! The flavor was lacking, and I am tempted to try this recipe out tonight when my son goes to sleep. The toasted almonds sound like a great touch, and the gruyere cheese, heaven! Thank you for these winter wonderland recipes! Making a snowy winter even more enjoyable!

I am so used to just being able to pluck whatever herbs I need from the garden but there is so much snow here now, I can’t even find my hearty purple sage beneath the drifts. So I’ve been stumped as what to do with all the bunches of herbs I buy for particular recipes and they usually shrivel up or rot in a glass (mint looking very sad right now) but you have given me the answer! Herb oils! Yum! Thanks!

Oh please tell us what you did in Portland! I loved your last travel update and I visited several of the places you suggested!

Dill is my absolute favourite herb, and soup my desert island food! Thanks for this recipe, Heidi.
As far as cleaning the leeks go, I agree it is a mission. I cut a cross in each end of the leek, and open the layers, rinsing under a tap. So far no grit!

thank you for send recipe

My mom has been talking about potato leek soup alot lately, and this looks like a simple recipe to satisfy that desire. Love the addition of the dill oil – anything dill is high in my books 🙂

For cleaning leeks, I prefer to chop them first and then give them a couple of rinses in water. Submerge, jolt around, strain, repeat. This takes the guesswork out of the layers.

Gorgeous plates and delicious leek soup. I like to include a bit of leek in all soups. The flavor is magical.

Gorgeous plates and delicious leek soup. I like to include a bit of leek in all soups. The flavor is magical.

I’ve always had a hard time with dill, but this might just tip the tables for me. I love the idea of this basic herb oil, and imagine it would be lovely with basil, chives or oregano. Or, even, all of the above, tossed with hot potatoes or trickled over soup.
Have a wonderful time in Portland, Heidi. It’s one of my favorite places in the world.

Amazing! I love leeks and am always so happy to discover a new leek soup. I really liked the dill oil. I added a bit of caraway to my soup- around one teaspoon and it turned out really great.

I’m always up for a new potato leek soup recipe. I’m looking forward to giving the dill oil a try. And I’m glad to know this freezes well–so handy!

I made this for dinner last night. I used half the leeks and doubled the potatoes. I also blended everything with my immersion blender. My husband and I really liked it. We also didn’t put the extra oil on the top because he came home while I was putting our son to bed and started cleaning the kitchen, so the extra dill oil went down the drain.

Hi Tess – Thanks so much for the info!

I would never have thought to make an herb oil using dill – and it’s such a vibrant green! Sounds like a great complement to the leeks; I will have to give this a try soon.

I’m a newbie to Dill here… What parts do you put into the oil? All of it? Just the leafy frond things? The seed pods? The flowers?
HS: Hi Denise, I use the fronds.

I’ve been following you for about a year and a half, and thanks to your wonderful recipes I had the courage to join my daughter as a vegetarian. Aside from your food thoughts, I LOVE your photos and travelogues. After seeing your shot of Yosemite through the frosty window I had to tell you how much I loved it. It’s my kind of artsy, maybe-it-will-work, maybe-it-won’t-shot. Thank you for sharing your creativity with us.

Jill – I think 2 cups is about 1/4 the recipe. I had 2.5lbs of leeks (pre trimmed) which were about 6 cups chopped.

This looks great (as usual!), and the timing is perfect because I just got leeks in our CSA box last week. I’ve never cooked with leeks before, and have a question. I cleaned and chopped them up yesterday – and I have about 2 cups of chopped leeks. Is that enough? I’m not sure how heavy they were with the leaves, and now that the leaves are gone – I’m wondering if I have enough for this recipe? (I plan on halving it). Thanks for everything!

This looks great on a cold Minnesota day.

This soup looks wodnerful. And after all of the football junk food I’ve been eating (and will be for the next week) cleansing leeks will be in order!

I’m not sure if I’ve ever commented before, but I’ve been following your blog for a few years now, and have gotten so many wonderful ideas on healthful dishes to cook for my family. I cannot wait to try out this recipe. Thank you so much for all that you do! I SO appreciate it. 🙂

Looks delicious- I cannot wait to try it. Thanks for the tip on the toasted almonds, it will definitely take a step up in flavor.

I like your note about spooning it over farro. I love getting mileage out of soups by turning them into sauces like that!

Herb oils are so great. Easy and they really do make things special. Warm dill oil on steamed fingerling potatoes, oh, I’m dying 😉

Gorgeous pics! The soup sounds good, maybe without the dill oil though. I truly detest the flavor of dill.

Heidi, this looks splendid and even tho’ it’s late summer here in NZ the leeks are plentiful and I am going to try it soon.
I have thought of you many times over our summer break as I make your “twist on guacamole” I am fortunate to have access to endless avocados and your recipe has been consumed and passed on to lots of friends and family. Thanks

It was 101 Cookbooks Day in my house today. It was my first time making any of your recipes and although I didn’t make this particular soup, I made the Coconut Red Lentil Soup, the Mixed Mushroom Soup and the Banana Chip Cookies. My house smelled divine all day long thanks to you. EVERYTHING tastes super yummy, it’s awesome! I will have delicious (oh yeah, and healthy) meals and snacks for days to come. Thanks Heidi!

I wanted to make this a meal so I added 2 cups of chickpeas with the stock (and just used one potato). The soup was fantastic but the beans weren’t a perfect fit. Do you think lentils would work better? Or maybe I should just add more cheese. Mmmm…

Your photographs are so gorgeous, and that leek soup looks so heart warming! As soup in general does…
I need to cook with different ingredients and I have only used leeks a few times here and there. One to put on the list!

Hi Heidi,
I’m in Portland now for the WG conference and am so looking forward to hearing you speak!
HS: I’ll keep an eye out for you Janel!

Wow – this was OUTSTANDING. The dill oil elevated it to a completely new level. And the almonds were perfect. LOVED the concept of letting the leeks sweat with the potatoes, rather than boiling everything in the broth for 20 minutes. Really rich leek flavor. Thank you! My 3 sons all loved it as well.

I was just looking at the leeks in my cellar; they’re getting big and floppy and I needed some inspiration to get them used up…..and here you are! Thanks…..big leek cook-up coming tomorrow!

Thank you so much for this recipe! I have a tons of leeks left over from another recipe this weekend and had no idea what to do. What kind of potatoes would you recommend–where I live, we have all varieties.

What a fabulous soup. I love recipes that produce loads of flavour from so few ingredients.
🙂 Mandy

It was a cold and rainy day here in SoCal today, believe it or not…I made this soup – delicious, though it took much longer to cook the potatoes than I expected…love the method, cooking the veggies in the dill oil. Big hit in my household! Thanks!!

Heidi,
Love following you, and your recipes. I love your talent, and the way you present everything with your beautiful photography

This was a huge hit at our house. My 7 year old son announced that on a scale of 1-10 it was “google-plex”. He had thirds with cheese, dill oil and almonds sprinkled on top.

Thanks Heidi. Made this soup and your spilt pea soup on Sunday afternoon. Both were a hit and perfect for a cold winter’s night in Tokyo. Leftovers went in the freezer. Smiles, J

Here is yet another thing to fit into my weekly meal planning! I’ll be attempting to grow leeks in my garden this summer, but for now, store bought leeks will have to do!

Yeah! I have been getting to know leeks over the past month or two and I love their versatility. Will definitely make it and report back.

i’ve never seen leeks look so beautiful – great photo:)

I love how simple this recipe is! And I have most everything in garden. Thanks 🙂

Looks absolutely delicious! We had friends over last night and I made your artichoke/tofu dip and your spicy tomato gratin as two of our dishes, to rave reviews. Thank you!
BTW, I live in Portland. Welcome and enjoy our fair city. If you ever need local recommendations, please email!

Oh I love how this sounds, I think I have to try this as long as it is still cold here. Thanks for the recipe!

I like the dill sauce here. One question is regarding technique, sometimes when I use a blender with olive oil (even quality olive oil) the taste turns bitter. So generally I’ll use only a minimal amount of olive oil to get it to emulsify, then add the rest of the oil at the end to incorporate. What’s your recommendation? technique?

This sounds sooooo good! I can’t wait to try it. Dill is such a wonderful, wonderful herb…I love the idea of dill oil. And with almonds–brightened my day!

Thanks for the great recipes Heidi. Your photos of the recipes (and of your travels) are beautiful. I am a vegetarian raising a vegetarian boy (he’s 16 months old) and I love your recipes. Thank you for including your recipes on your blog. I purchased your cookbooks too (pre-ordered your new book). I can’t wait to get them. Thank you and keep the recipes and photos coming!

@Heidi – I used to cook up a really intense casserole with just leeks, onions, carrots and tomatoes. I haven’t cooked with leeks for so long but this soup makes me think I should try it!
@Ethel – I sometimes use ground oatmeal to thicken soups. It’s definitely lower in carbohydrates than potato, rice or pasta. It works a treat and adds a nice texture, too.

This sounds delicious! I have a question-is there anything I could substitute for the potatoes? I am a type 2 diabetic and can not eat any potatoes (or rice or pasta as) I must aim for tightest control)
Thanks, Heidi.

Thanks. I will add dill oil to my collection of bottled oils. Olive oil with a. rosemary b. thyme c. green jalapeno d. NOT garlic e. now dill. That way it “preserves” the herbs and I always can use the flavored oils.

Sounds delish! I love how delicious leeks are when so simply prepared.
Speaking of Portland, my fiance and I may get to relocate there in a few months, and we made a visit recently to check things out. We stayed right down the street from Powell’s, near the Ace Hotel you posted about a couple years back. Since it was my first time, I ended up using many of your suggestions from your Portland post, including Clyde Common, Stumptown Coffee Roasters and Ken’s Artisan Pizza. All BIG winners! Since I’ve been following you for quite some time now, I trusted your opinions, and it was terrific to be able to guide ourselves through some of the city, using your post. So a big Thank You is in order, and I look forward to hearing about any new finds you come across this time around, IF we do end up moving there.

Your pictures are great, especially the one of the dill oil.
I have a question regarding the storage of the oil: room temperature, fridge? I don’t think I would use it up.

Great pictures Heidi! Thank you for sharing those. I think Yosemite in winter looks fantastic. Hey! While you are in Portland, check out the food cart Kitchen Dances – vegan food cart on SE 43rd and Belmont. If you are still hungry consider a Polenta Porcini Burger and fries at Violetta. And for dessert a Brown Butter Pecan Pie Hole from Pie Spot (32nd/Division). I think the Best Pizza in town is Wy’East Pizza cart on 50th between Division and Powell (on it’s own, not in the cart pod). Have a delicious trip!

sounds and looks interesting, unfortunately I havn’t much experience with soups – maybe should I start it ?!
Greetings

I, too, have a hard time resisting the through the windshield shots 🙂
This recipe looks fantastic and simple. I’m always on the look out for leek soup inspirations (especially since it’s the name of my blog) that aren’t just a glob of pureed leeks and potatoes, and this one looks like the perfect jumping off point. Thanks for the inspiration!

tip – leeks easy to clean if you slice them first. Then just salad spinner or colander. No hiding places for grit!

I love the idea of dill oil! Its bright green color looks so beautiful on top of the soup.

I love it when I come to this site thinking “Mmmm. I feel like soup” and you’ve got a new soup recipe. Very fun – this looks great.
I clean large amounts of leeks by chopping them up well (the food processor is a good idea) and then throwing them in a sink full of water. Shake things about a lot and you’re done with no grit in sight. (If they’re still really wet, you an also put them in the salad spinner when you’re done.)
Also, I love the windshield wiper picture. What a great image.

Making it right now. Yum! Smells good, too.
When you are in Portland, be sure to visit Dan and Louis Oyster Bar on Ankeny Street in old town. I grew up in Portland, and it was my favorite place….full of ships models and character.
Enjoy

Leek soup was the first soup my mother taught me to make when I was a child – and it’s still one of my favorites. But what I can’t wait to try is the dill oil. Sounds like it’s going to be great on so many things!

Interesting combination with the dill oil. Love the colour too.
Enjoy Portland!

I adore leeks. I will love this recipe.

Love this soup, Heidi. Leeks are fabulous in a soup and this is perfect for a chilly, snowy Sunday night. I’m going to try this recipe this evening for my family. Thank you for sharing; hope you are having a fabulous weekend.
xo
Amie

This looks absolutely amazing. I am quite excited to slip it into this week’s menu. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

So many good things in this post! The soup sounds amazing and I can’t wait to make some dill oil for myself to use next time I’m having eggs! And I love the Yosemite pictures! I went for the first time in the fall two years ago and absolutely adore the place, taking photos there, and just being surrounded by such beautiful natural elements. Thanks for sharing the wintry photos!

What a lovely soup. Dill oil is brilliant! I make herb oils all the time, but for some reason have never done it with dill. My market sells HUGE bunches of dill and it often goes to waste when I buy one.

I love leeks, but like you said cleaning them is not fun. haha
Beautiful pictures of the snow in Yosemite!

Just a quick question – is it 9 tbsp of oil (that would be a bit over a cup?) or 1/2 cup? Sounds delicious and just want to be sure I have enough dill!
HS: Hi Darien. It’s just around 1/2 cup. But I think having the cup measurement in the recipe is confusing people, I’m just going to delete that. So, 9T, and you’re all set.

I’m a huge fan of leek soup, and the dill oil sounds heavenly! Great recipe.

This soup looks delicious. I love the fact that it is light but also probably has a great, subtle flavor from the leeks and dill. I wonder if adding a squeeze of fresh lemon juice would also brighten the flavors up? I am anxious to try it.
HS: Or a bit of zest near the end? Great suggestion.

To make it easier to clean the leeks, don’t remove the roots and don’t cut in half after trimming. Instead, leave the roots on, trim as much as you like then cut along the leek almost to the base and roots but not through the base and roots and clean the fanned-out leaves before removing the roots and finishing the cutting. No need to mess up a food processor bowl either because the cutting takes seconds.
HS: I’ll have to give this approach a try some time Stephen, thanks for sharing.

Wow, I’ve never heard of dill oil – great to know!

This is how we preserve dill – we pure it with olive oil and some salt. Excellent soup!

This is really a new combination by taking leek soup with dill I’ve never had it before.

Yum. Dill, potatoes and leeks. Always a delicious combo. The dill oil sounds like something that I’ll have to try on a lot of things!

I love the combination of leeks and dill and the rustic style. I picked up some fresh dill myself to use in my squash soup for tomorrow.

I have a bunch of fresh dill that I couldn’t resist at the market and dill oil sounds perfect. I like to chop my leeks and then wash them which works well for removing the grit. The almonds sounds perfect for this soup and I can’t wait to try it. Sounds like a great flavor combination.

Heidi!! Yay another trip to Portland! I was at Clyde Common earlier in the evening, and thought of your faro salad.Have fun!

I saw you on the street with a bag of leeks last week and was already wondering what you would turn them into:-) Sounds like a great recipe! I find your blog and book very inspiring – thanks!
HS: Say hello next time Marlise, it would have been fun to meet you! 🙂

We’re having some great weather in Portland right now! I hope it holds up for your trip! Do let us know where you ended up eating while you were here! And if you need any recommendations, please say so!

This looks like such a warm and comforting soup – I can’t wait to try it. And what a great way to use the dill we’ve been getting in our CSA!

I haven’t cooked with a leek in well over a year… must add to the shopping list !! I love their mellow flavor. Thanks for the inspiration!

Leek soup is a real “comfort food” to me…why I’ve never thought to pair it with dill is odd….now that you say so, they seem like the perfect couple! Now I just have to wait for the snow to recede and my kitchen garden to come back to life here in the Northwoods….
love,
cathy b.

I like that this recipe calls for potato skins to stay intact, it adds a rustic flair. I rarely use dill, but this combination is so novel that I’ll give it a go.

Leek soup is one of my favorites…but I’ve never had it with dill before…sounds like a perfect pair.

gorgeous!!

Sounds perfectly wonderful. A bright shot of dill oil in the middle of winter is such a nice idea. Lots of purees would take well to this — carrot soup with parsley oil, tomato soup with basil oil, etc . . .

Mmm…our herb garden is fresh out of dill, but parsley is aplenty. Parsley oil it is! Safe travels to Portland! xo.

This soup looks absolutely delicious! I can’t wait to make it tonight and curl up with a bowl of it to enjoy a lazy Sunday evening. What a perfect way to end the week. Thank you once again, Heidi!