Potato Leek Soup

1. Gather your ingredients and prep (wash, peel, chop, measure) for quick and easy soup assembly.
2. Clean and slice your leeks (white parts only); thoroughly washed, halved and sliced.
3. Press the Saute button on the Instant Pot®, when it reads "HOT" add oil and butter.
4. Stove Top | Heat 4 qt or larger pot over medium-high heat, add oil and butter.
5. Add leeks and sauté, stirring occasionally, until soft and lightly browned.
6. Add garlic and stir until fragrant, about 30-60 seconds.
7. Sprinkle flour (or GF flour) over the leeks, stirring until incorporated, about a minute.
8. Pour in broth, stirring well and scraping the bottom to get all the flour mixed in and incorporated.
9. Add cubed potatoes, bay leaf, sea salt, pepper and nutmeg. Stir well.
10. Place lid on the Instant Pot® and set the steam release valve to sealing position.
11. Stove Top | Bring to boil, simmer on low until potatoes are tender, about 15-20 minutes, skip to puree options).
12. Adjust time + or - to 7 minutes in Manual or Pressure Cook mode on Instant Pot.
13. Once cooking cycle ends, allow the pot to release pressure naturally for 15 minutes, then release balance of steam (careful)!
14. Once the pressure pin drops on the steam release, open the top and stir the soup. Be sure to remove your bay leaf.

Puree Options

1. Using an immersion blender, blend right in the pot until smooth and silky.
2. Puree in a blender in small batches. Pour a couple ladles of soup into blender and purée, pour puréed soup into another pot or large bowl until all soup is blended, return pureed soup to pressure cooker pot.
3. Have a Vitamix? Pour the soup into blender (if the container is large enough, if not, do in batches), turn Vitamix to low speed, then slowly increase the speed until smooth and steamy.
4. After the soup is puréed, pour in your half and half (coconut milk, heavy cream or whole milk may be substituted), stir until combined.
5. Taste and adjust seasonings, if needed.

Garnish

1. Pour in a little swirl of sour cream (see notes), chopped chives or green onions and crisp bacon, all optional, but adds a lovely touch.
2. Serve soup hot or cold.

Serving Suggestions

1. For a light lunch, serve with a slice of warm, buttered  hearty bread. Or add a fresh salad or make a grilled cheese using fresh bread with some smoked gouda, cheddar or Gruyère cheese.