Miso Potato Leek Soup

Owing to the fact that I come from the land of green tomatoes, I developed an extra appreciation for potatoes. Growing up, I must have scrubbed and peeled and diced or sliced millions of potatoes. I am not even exaggerating by very much. In the bulba land, it has always been a breakfast, lunch or dinner staple. Incidentally, my mom's mashed potatoes have been called "best mashed potatoes in America." We, in the Kuznetsov fam, are very proud of that title. 

Of late, I can't seem to go through a farmer's market without picking up potatoes. If you have extra potatoes lying around, you may want to give this recipe a try. I made this soup for dinner 2 nights ago for my sisters and brothers in-law and it was a big success. Basically, I styled up a traditional potato leek soup recipe with a dollop of miso. It's a slight variation on the classic potato leek soup that Mendel's Bubby used to make. 

Please note that this recipe and everything else you make tastes a ton better if you use LOCAL natural/organic no spray produce. The secret between potato leek soup and everyone-wants-seconds potato leek soup is sauteeing onion, leek and garlic in lots of olive oil. 

Miso Potato Leek Soup

This recipe makes 4-6 servings.

Ingredients:

olive oil
1/2 white onion 
1-2 cloves of garlic
1-2 leeks
2-4 stalks of celery
1 carrot
4 medium potatoes
1/2 bunch of dill or 2-3 teaspoons dried dill
2 tablespoons miso
6 cups of water
ground black pepper

Directions:

1. In a kettle, bring to boil 6 cups of water.
2. Dissolve miso in 2 cups of hot water and set aside. 
3. Coat the bottom of the soup pot generously with olive oil and put on the fire.
4. Finely dice onion, press garlic, thinly slice the white and light green parts of the leek (discard the dark green areas). 
5. Saute onion, garlic and leek in a covered soup pot with olive oil until the onion is golden brown.
6. Finely chop celery and add to the soup pot. 
7. Cover the soup pot and let veggies saute and sweat for a few minutes.
8. Dice carrots and potatoes into 1/2 inch cubes, add to the soup pot and let sweat under cover for a few minutes.
9. Add 2 cups of the miso broth and bring to boil covered.
10. Chop dill and add to the soup pot together with the rest of the water and some ground pepper.
11. Reduce heat to low and let simmer covered on low heat for 30-60 minutes.
12. Enjoy!