I almost hate to lapse back into standard recipe-making, but this is a recipe that really should be documented somewhere. Heather made this soup for us quite a few times—it was standard, comforting fare for each of us when we were sick. I had it more than once when I was so sick a year ago.

When Heather moved out of the apartment to head east, she left behind one last bag of this soup in the freezer. It’s currently living in my freezer, waiting for an appropriate moment to be warmed up. Heather says that she got the recipe from her mother, but she has no idea where her mother got the recipe from. In either case, we’ve come to look on the recipe as Heather’s, and thus I’ve named it as such.

Heather’s Potato-Leek Soup

6 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and diced
1 leek, sliced thinly
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp. olive oil
¼ cup white wine (optional)
2 vegetable boullion cubes
water
salt and pepper

In a large (5-quart) pot, saute leek and garlic in the olive oil until soft, but not brown. Add white wine, and cook until you can no longer smell alcohol. Add potatoes and cover with water, with the level of the water about 1—1½ inches over the potatoes. Add vegetable boullion, making sure to crumble it so it dissolves completely. Cook until potatoes are tender. Using either a blender or a stick blender (the stick blender is much easier), blend until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

It freezes well, but you may have to add a bit of milk to thin the soup out a bit after thawing.