Potage Parmentier
This excellent French soup is as smooth and elegant as it is simple. Serve hot to 6 to 8people as a first course.
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Ingredients
- 3 cups leeks, white and tender green parts, sliced in aprox. 1/4" slices.( Not in the original recipe flavor is added by sauteeing in 3 Tablespoons of butter in the first step)
- 4 cups potatoes, peeled and chopped
- 8cups water**
- 1 Tablespoon salt
- 6 Tablespoons heavy cream
- GARNISH... chopped parsley or chives
Details
Level of difficulty Average
Cost Average budget
Preparation
Step 1
In a dutch oven or other heavy bottomed pan saute the leeks till tender. Add potatoes and salt and the liquid. Simmer until potatoes are VERY tender...about 50 minutes. Puree (or use potato masher)the mixture, taste and correct the seasonings
Step 2
When ready to serve, stir in the cream, ladle into bowls or tureen and top with herbs.
The tale of this soup is that France was beset with famine following the 7 year war(1756-1763). Native son ntoine Auguste Parmentier, who had been fed the so-called poisonous potato root in a German prison-of-war camp, returned to France to find his country men starving. He set up potato soup kitchens throughout Paris to assist the poor. Ultimately, Louis XVI recognized his work by saying "France will thankyou some day for having found bread for the poor." In fact, he is best honored by the pleasure his country take in digesting Potage Parmentier.
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