Potato Soup with Leeks, Carrots, Peas

Potato soup with leeks, carrots, and peas.

It is cold, cold weather here, and just the right time to try this recipe from Dan Eaton of Cooking At Home on Channel 14. 
SERVES:
4 – 6
INGREDIENTS:
2 large cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
4 cups thinly sliced peeled potato
4 cups chicken broth (or vegetable broth)
1 Tbs chopped fresh thyme (or 1/4 - 1/2 tsp dried thyme)
1 cup peeled, small diced carrot
1 small leek sliced
2-3 Tbs butter
1/2 cup diced smoked ham
1/2 - 1 cup frozen peas
milk as needed
salt and pepper to taste
PROCEDURE:
Thinly slice a couple of cloves of garlic and 4 cups of potatoes and add these to a soup pot with 4 cups of chicken broth and bring it up to a simmer.

Thinly sliced potatoes and garlic.

Add potatoes and garlic to chicken stock.

Once the potatoes are going, finely chop about 1 Tbs fresh thyme and peel and cut about 1 cup of carrots into pea size dice.
Cut the dark green part off and the root end off of the leek, cut it in half lengthwise and then thinly crosswise and then rinse the sliced leeks in a colander in the sink.
Next, melt a couple of Tbs of butter in another large saute pan and add the diced carrot and well drained leeks and the chopped thyme.  Add a ladle of the chicken broth from the potato pot and cook that along until the carrots and leeks are nice and soft, adding a little more broth or water if you need to.

Saute carrots and leeks in butter.

Add thyme (I used dried thyme.)

Then add about 1 cup of frozen peas and as much diced smoked ham as you like, stir that in and turn the heat off.

Add frozen peas and smoked ham.

Once the potatoes are nice and soft, use a hand blender to puree the soup, adding a little milk as you need to, to give it a creamy soup consistency.

Puree potatoes with hand blender.

Fold in the vegetables, season to taste and it's good to go.

This was so good on a cold night like tonight.  I often use Dan Eaton's recipes.