Cooking: Potato Leek Soup

I like this because, even in this climate, it can be made with local garden ingredients. It's inexpensive and hearty without being too heavy. Yummm...

1 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3 leeks, thinly sliced
6 – 8 potatoes, roughly cubed (I like the skins left on)
1 Cup fresh baby spinach, whole leaves or roughly hand-torn
4 Cups broth
salt and pepper to taste

Melt butter with oil in a saucepan over medium heat; add onions and sauté until transparent. Add sliced leeks, stirring while cooking until onions are at desired tenderness/transparency/caramelization (whatever you like). Transfer contents of saucepan to a stock pot, add potatoes, stir, and add enough broth to cover. Cook until potatoes are tender, stirring occasionally (and roughly, so as to break up the potatoes slightly and thicken the soup). Toss in the spinach leaves and cook a few minutes more, just to heat and wilt them.

Serve with a drizzle of cream or a dollop of plain yogurt and fresh cracked black pepper to taste.