French villagers would place a gratin of thinly sliced potatoes under roasting meat to flavor the potatoes with the meat juices. Inspired by that dish, we make steamed potatoes into something special to serve on the side for dinner. But instead of the meat juices, we use cream.
SERVES 4 TO 6
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 2 1/2 pounds small low-starch potatoes, such as fingerling, Yukon Gold, or red bliss, scrubbed, peeled if necessary, and halved
- 2 medium leeks (white and tender green parts), cleaned and cut into 1-inch rounds
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 teaspoons dried thyme
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon Tabasco or another hot sauce
- 6 bacon strips, cooked until crisp and crumbled
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Pour the water into the pressure cooker. Arrange the trivet and steamer basket in the bottom and stack the halved potatoes in the basket. Arrange the leeks on top of the potatoes. Lock the lid in place and cook at high pressure for 5 minutes.
- Quick release the pressure and remove the lid, tilting the pot away from you to avoid the escaping steam. Drain the potatoes and leeks, and return them to the pot over medium-high heat.
- Add the heavy cream, dried thyme, salt, and Tabasco to the pot with the potatoes and leeks. Cook for 5 minutes to allow the cream to reduce and flavors to meld together.
- Stir in the crumbled bacon and ensure it is evenly distributed throughout the soup.
- Transfer the creamy potato and leek soup to a serving dish.
- Serve the soup immediately while it’s hot.
