Creamy Potato Leek Soup (with Bacon) (2024)

FAQs

Why does my leek and potato soup taste bitter? ›

Potato leek soup can taste bitter if you burn the leeks when first reducing them down in your pot. To avoid burning your leeks, stir the leeks often and reduce with butter or oil to help avoiding burning the leeks.

The reasons are usually two: you didn't season your soup at all, worrying it might be too salty because of the leeks; or you added to much water for the stock. If you follow our instructions, and taste before serving, you can easily add a little more salt and pepper to make your soup even tastier.

Why is my potato and leek soup slimy? If you blend or puree the potatoes for too long, the starch inside the potatoes will leak into the broth and create a gelatin-like consistency.

Add flour or cornflour

Put a tablespoon of either into a small bowl and stir in 2-3 tbsp of the soup until you have a smooth mixture. Stir this back into the soup and bring it to a simmer. Cook for a few minutes to allow the starch granules to burst to thicken, and to cook out any flour flavour.

Onions, artichokes, garlic and leeks all contain fructans – carbs that can cause gas and bloating.

It looks as though some of your potatoes might have got a bit scorched. Did you fry them off before adding the liquid? The colour from the browned potatoes could be what is turning it brown.

Why isn't my potato soup creamy? Most creamy soups require you to add dairy of some sort into it.

"Ground paprika, turmeric, nutmeg, ground ginger, and other powdered spices add a touch of color and spiciness to broths," she says. As a general rule, use fresh herbs at or near the end of cooking and dried herbs and spices early on. This helps you get the flavors you're looking for in the right balance.

Potato and Leek Soup: Simplicity at Its Best

You can garnish it with your favourite toppings like crispy bacon bits or have it with cheese and garlic bread – the list is endless. For the full dinner experience, it goes beautifully with sweet and earthy roast Dutch carrots, savoury grilled chicken and toasted bread.

Add Flour Or Cornstarch

You can thicken soup by adding flour, cornstarch, or another starchy substitute.

How to stop leek and potato soup from going gloopy? ›

Potatoes – use starchy or all rounders, they fall apart when simmered which means less blending for creamy soup = less risk of gluey soup*.

Keeping them in medium-ish sized chunks should work best. If the potatoes are chopped too finely, then too much starch will be released into the broth, resulting in a gummy-like texture.

Salt and pepper: Potato Leek Soup requires a significant amount of salt and pepper to awaken the rest of the flavors. If you feel like the soup is missing something at the end of cooking, it probably just needs more salt or pepper – so adjust to taste.

It might be tempting to add sour cream or softened cream cheese to help thicken the soup, but these dairy products only work in certain circ*mstances. You must blend cream cheese or sour cream, either with an immersion blender or a full-size blender, for it to thicken a soup.

Not Adding Acid

If a soup is tasting bland in the bowl, consider adding acid rather than salt. A squeeze of lemon or lime, or a dash of yogurt or sour cream can add brightness to the bowl.

Tips to Remove a Bitter Taste

Mix in a little bit of sugar to hide the bitterness. Add a pinch of salt to a bitter dish. Sprinkle in a pinch of baking soda. Add acidic flavors to the dish, like lemon juice or vinegar.

The best way to reduce or get rid of bitter flavor in broth is to add sugar and acid to offset the bitterness. Adding sugar and acid doesn't just mask the bitter flavor; it actually changes the chemistry within the broth!

How do you reduce bitterness in bitter leaf soup? Bitter leaf is naturally bitter so it has to be thoroughly washed to be edible. Place the leaves in a large bowl of water and add a little salt. Scrub the leaves between your hands and rinse out as the water turns foamy.

Soaking the onions in cold water for 10 minutes before cooking can help to reduce the unpleasant taste and smell. Additionally, adding a pinch of sugar to the cooking onions can also help to reduce their pungent flavor.