Ms Potato Head's Kitchen

Let's just get the embarrassing photo out of the way.

This week the TASG is talking about our favourite comfort foods, and for me, the timing is perfect for this topic because:

A) I eat when I’m stressed.

B) It’s getting cold up here in Canada!

I can’t speak for Tom and Lauren, as they will share their own stories Wednesday and Friday, but I can tell you that I actually really like cooking.

What?

Yeah, I love to cook.

WTF?

Okay, so I don’t really like just making dinner or whatever, but I do, on occasion, like to make a nice meal - and I’m pretty good at it (I think). I get a lot of my favourite recipes from magazines and such. One of my favourites is a potato and leek soup recipe - perfect for a cold evening.

I freakin’ love potatoes! Seriously...I will eat potato anything. Baked potatoes, mashed, fried, scalloped, potato salad, boiled, hash browns...I could go on, and on. I am very Irish when it comes to the potato! (I’m only like 1/4 Irish...I think...maybe more...but it counts...it certainly counts on St. Paddy’s Day). Potatoes just bring me joy - and that is why this soup is one of my favourite comfort foods.

Allison, what do I need to make this at home?

Leeks next to some delicious bacon

Easy, here are the ingredients:

1/2 cup chopped bacon (mmm...bacon)
1 cup chopped leeks - white + light green part only
3 cups of peeled, diced potatoes (mmm)
1/2 tsp each salt & pepper
1 cup of dry white wine (mmm)
3 cups of chicken broth
1/2 cup of sour cream
1/2 cup of chopped chives

How do I make this delicious comfort food Allison?:

• Cook bacon in large, heavy sauce pan on medium-high - stir often untl crispy (approx. 6 mins)
• Remove using slotted spoon and save it as a garnish and drain all but a tbsp of fat from the pan.
• Add leeks and cook until soft.
• Add potatoes, salt & pepper (stir)
• Add wine and cook until reduced by half.
• Pour in chicken broth and reduce heat to simmer until the potatoes are very tender (15 mins).
• Blend using a hand mixer.
• Stir in sour cream
• Serve w/ bacon and chives on top (I’ve also used grated chedder).

Simmer down now!

Also, I’ve made this recipe for a vegetarian friend before. I just removed the bacon, used olive oil instead of bacon fat to cook the leeks, and vegetable broth instead of chicken. It pretty much didn’t change the flavour.

Finished product!

Oh, and totally drink the rest of the wine.

Other comfort foods and drinks for me are:

• Hot chocolate
• Tea
• That cheesy salsa dip by Tostitos - microwave that shit...it’s delicious with tortilla chips.
• Guacamole!
• Peanut butter (toast, bread, on a spoon from the jar).
• Chocolate
• Cookies
• Cake
• Wine
• Gin
• Sweet potato fries
• Butter tarts (I just learned that these are a Canadian invention).
• Wow...this is starting to sound like my guilty pleasures post.



Anyways, I made this for dinner on Sunday and it was amazing.

After dinner I played some darts in my basement by myself.

Blurry cellphone picture of me practicing darts for Quiz Night.

Okay Tom - comfort food(s)...Go!