Potato soup's on!

We're looking at another cold snowy week ahead, definitely comfort food weather. So what better way to warm the insides than a pot of potato soup?

1/2 lb bacon
4-5 leeks
5 cups chicken or veggie broth
1 can corn, drained
1 boneless skinless chicken breast (optional)
1 cup heavy cream or milk
3 lbs yukon gold potatoes
1/2 cup shredded aged cheddar

Roast corn for 20 minutes at 400 degrees F
Cook bacon. Drain pan, reserve 1 tablespoon grease. Crumble bacon and set aside
Mince leeks, shading up to light green ends. Saute leeks in bacon grease till translucent.
Scrub potatoes, then dice, leaving skins on
Cook potatoes in broth till fork-tender, around 10 minutes after boil
Add leeks
Stir in cream, bring back to simmering

At this point, you can leave it chunky, or puree it in a food processor to make it creamy. I usually compromise, scooping out a couple ladlefuls of potatoes, then blending, and adding the chunks back in.

Dice chicken breast
Bring back to simmering, add in diced chicken
Bring back to simmering, let cook for ~another 10 minutes
Add roasted corn, add salt and pepper to taste


Serve with slabs of crusty bread, or in a bread bowl. Sprinkle shredded cheese and crumbled bacon liberally over the top. Nomnomnom.