La Madeleine's Country Potato Soup (Copycat)

Submitted by Lizzie-Babette

"This recipe is from Executive Chef Remy Schaal of la Madeleine French Bakery & Cafe. Founded in Dallas in 1983, la Madeleine has many neighborhood cafes and bakeries in five states and Washington, D.C. Excellent potato soup!"

 

• Ready In: 1hr 5mins
• Ingredients: 10
• Serves: 8

ingredients

• 1⁄8 cup butter, unsalted
• 2 leeks, thinly sliced (white part only)
• 1 large yellow onion, sliced
• 1 1⁄2 quarts chicken stock
• 4 large peeled potatoes, sliced evenly in 1/4 inch slices
• salt, to taste
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1⁄2 cup heavy cream
• 1 cup cheddar cheese, grated
• 1⁄2 cup bacon, cooked and diced

directions

1. In a large saucepan, add butter, leeks and onions, and cook.
2. (Do not brown vegetables.) Add chicken stock, potatoes, salt and fresh thyme.
3. Cook for 40 minutes over medium heat, stirring frequently to avoid scorching.
4. Add cream, bring to a boil and serve hot.
5. Garnish with Cheddar cheese and diced bacon.

Reviews

[elvira3060]

Instead of using thyme I replaced it with a pinch of oregano

 

[curvy]

What a wonderful copycat! I was cooking for a crowd so had to triple the recipe, and it still turned out lovely. I made two small adjustments. First, I removed the thyme before adding the cream. I accidentally added too many sprigs and was afraid of it being overpowering. Second, I pureed the soup in my blender before serving. I had to do it in small batches, removing the center piece from the blender's lid and covering the hole with a cloth to allow the steam to escape. It resulted in a wonderful, creamy texture. My friends and family really enjoyed this. I'll be making it again!

 

[Beatrice]

It's not exactly what you get at La Madeleine but it's pretty close! I made a few changes. First instead of a half cup of heavy cream I threw in the full 8 ounces. The smallest container of heavy cream you can buy is 8 ounces and I didn't want to the other half to go to waste. Secondly, I took a hand mixer and blended this mixture after removing the sprigs of thyme. I found it too be too chunky without this step. I also used garlic salt instead of regular salt! This recipe is a keeper for me!

 

[Michael G.]

Heavy whipping cream is vital. You can't make this even close without it

 

[cricketsocks]

This recipe tastes nothing like La Madeleine's potato soup. I was highly disappointed. It was, perhaps, the most bland soup I've ever eaten.