Le Potage Parmentier Rapide
Le Potage Parmentier Rapide·(luh po-tahzh par-mahn-tyay rah-peed)
Les Plats de Semaine: Weeknight Survival and Comfort
Before it was a staple of French grandmothers, the potato was illegal in France—until an eighteenth-century pharmacist convinced the king of its worth by pairing the humble tuber with sweet leeks, rich butter, and cream. Today, this is the quintessential French weeknight comfort food. It requires only a handful of accessible supermarket ingredients, yet yields a bowl of pure, unadulterated luxury. This fast iteration relies on a brilliant, practical hack: by dicing the potatoes smaller, an hour-long simmer becomes a twenty-minute sprint to the table. Simple, elegant, and perfectly executed.
Before you start
Choose the right potato.
Use medium-starch Yukon Golds rather than starchy Russets to ensure the blended soup becomes silky instead of a gluey paste.
Wash the leeks ruthlessly.
Leeks hide grit deep within their layers. Always slice them lengthwise and run them under cold water before chopping to keep the soup pristine.
Ingredients
- unsalted butter3 tbsp
- leeks2 large
- Yukon Gold potatoes1 1/2 lb
- low-sodium chicken broth4 cup
- whole milk1 cup
- kosher salt1 1/2 tsp
- white pepper1/4 tsp
- heavy cream1/2 cup
- fresh chives2 tbsp
Method
- 01
Sweat the leeks without browning.
In a heavy-bottomed Dutch oven, melt the butter over medium-low heat and add the sliced leeks with a pinch of salt. Cook gently, stirring frequently, until they are soft and translucent, about 5 to 8 minutes—if they begin to brown, drop the heat immediately to avoid bitter flavors.
- 02
Simmer the potatoes.
Add the diced potatoes, chicken broth, milk, salt, and white pepper. Bring to a gentle boil over medium-high heat, then immediately reduce to low, partially cover, and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes until a potato cube mashes effortlessly against the side of the pot.
- 03
Blend the soup to a velvet finish.
Remove the pot from the heat and purée the mixture with an immersion blender until completely smooth and homogeneous. If the soup feels too thick, whisk in a splash of hot broth or water to loosen it to a silky consistency.
- 04
Enrich with cream and serve.
While the soup is still hot but off the heat, stir in the heavy cream and adjust the salt to taste. Ladle into wide bowls, garnish with fresh chives, and serve immediately.
Notes
Never skim the fat.
As the legendary French chef Paul Bocuse insisted, the melted butter floating on the simmering broth is exactly where the flavor lives. Leave it there to emulsify into the final soup.
From Cook French in America.