The best potato and leek soup

Here's the recipe - it had to wait til the morning since we all needed to let the arteries unclog. Actually, although the recipe may sound heavy, the soup is very yummy and not heavy tasting. Thanks again Jenn-all credit goes to her for this recipe.

Potato & Leek Soup:

Ingredients

6-8 slices of bacon
1-2 leeks, white parts only, chopped
2 shallots or 1 medium onion, chopped
1 stick butter
1/2 cup flour
2 cans chicken broth (4 cups)
2 cups hot water
4 medium potatoes, cubed
2/3 cup to 1 cup cream
salt & pepper to taste
nutmeg (optional)
sharp cheese to grate on top (also optional, but really good).

Start by throwing the raw bacon in a cast iron pot on the stove top. Over medium-high heat, cook bacon and while its cooking, add the leeks and shallots. Cook until the shallots and leeks are golden and the bacon is cooked (but not burned), then pour off as much of the bacon grease as you can.

Cut up the stick o' butter and add it to pot with the leeks, shallots & bacon. Melt the butter and then stir in the flour and cook for about 2 minutes until mixture is mixed well and thick. Then add the chicken broth, 2 cups at a time (or 1 can at a time), mixing as you add it. (Option here - I used only 4 cups of chicken broth and 2 cups water as noted in ingredients above; you can use all chicken broth (replacing the water), I just only had 2 cans in the pantry when I made this last night!).

Once the broth and water are all mixed in, add the cubed potatoes. Then stir in 2/3 to 1 cup cream (depending on your artery quotient!), and salt and pepper to taste. You can also add a dash of nutmeg for spice.

Stir everything, then put this in the oven at 325 for about an hour, or until the potatoes are soft. Puree the mixture, but not too much. (Like Jenn, I used our hand
held shake blender thingy).

Serve with grated sharp cheese on top and warm bread or rolls. Very yummy, and a fair (but not too much) amount of left overs. If you try this recipe, let me know how it goes!