Kartoffelsuppe med porrer og bacon (Danish potato soup with leeks and bacon) recipe

What is kartoffelsuppe med porrer og bacon, and how do I make it? It translates from Danish as potato soup with leeks and bacon, and not only is this recipe super simple, it makes the ideal meal for a chilly evening when you can’t be bothered to really think too hard about cooking!

Possibly the most warming and hyggelig of all soup recipes, a bowl of this delicious concoction is so much more than the sum of its parts. Yeah, yeah, potato soup, I can hear you thinking, but believe me, when you stir through crispy bacon and salty chopped green leeks it becomes a comfort food of wonder.  This recipe serves four generous portions and will sit in the fridge quite happily for a couple of days while you plough through it; make a double batch and pop some in the freezer for when you want an easy supper! My son will eat bowls of it straight from the fridge, rather in the manner of a rustic Vichyssoise 🙂

Ingredients

1kg white potatoes (around 4 baking potatoes seems about right, with less peeling than if you use little ones!)

1l of hot chicken or vegetable stock

3 leeks, washed well

8 rashers of streaky bacon

1 small onion

25g butter

2 cloves of garlic, chopped

Salt and pepper, to taste

Salad oil, double cream or creme fraiche, to serve (optional)

1. Peel and roughly chop the onion and potatoes.
2. Roughly slice the white part of the leeks, then cut the green stems into small pieces and set aside.
3. Melt the butter in a large saucepan then gently fry the leek whites and onion over a medium heat for 4-5 minutes until they start to soften.
4. Add the chopped garlic, stir for another minute or so then tip in the potatoes.
5. Pour over the stock and simmer for 20 minutes or so until the potatoes are soft.
6. While everything is bubbling away, crack on with the topping; fry the bacon in a splash of oil until crispy then remove from the pan and snip into little pieces with scissors.
7. Add the chopped green leek to the bacon fat and fry gently for 4-5 minutes until soft.
8. Blitz the vegetables and stock until smooth and creamy, then ladle into bowls. Add a swirl of your favourite salad oil, creme fraiche or double cream, then top with the leeks and bacon.