Authentic French Cream Potato Soup For Your Next Dinner Party
David Scott Allen · Provencal Recipes · Soup · Taste
Potage Parmentier is an easy French cream potato soup that makes a delicious first course. The ingredients are only a few: potatoes, leeks, salt, water, and a little cream. Considering the ingredients, this is most likely a peasant soup, but these days, it is served in some very nice restaurants as a lovely entrée (first course). It’s much lighter than many soups of this type, so it’s not as filling. Unlike vichyssoise, it is served hot. The recipe found below is one that Julia Child shared in her cookbook Mastering the Art of French Cooking.
Potatoes in France
Interestingly, in France, many dishes containing potatoes are named parmentier. For example, the French equivalent of shepherd’s pie is hachis parmentier, and mashed potatoes are purée parmentier. Antoine-Augustin Parmentier (1737 – 1813) was a pharmacist, agronomist, and later the Inspector-General of the French Health Service. It was not until 1772 that the Paris Faculty of Medicine determined that the potato was edible, primarily due to Mr. Parmentier’s efforts. The “father” of the potato is buried in the Père Lachaise Cemetery, which we visited on our recent trip to Paris.
Potage Parmentier - Creamy Potato Soup
David Scott Allen I Cocoa & Lavender
Potage Parmentier, found in Julia Child's cookbook Mastering the Art of French Cooking, is an easy-to-make potato soup that makes a delicious first course.
Prep Time 30 minutes mins
Cook Time 50 minutes mins
Total Time 1 hour hr 20 minutes mins
Course Soup, Starter Course
Cuisine French, Provencal
For the soup:
- 3-4 cups Russet potatoes peeled and cubed (see note)
- 3 cups leeks white and light green parts, washed and thinly sliced
- 1 tbsp salt plus more to taste
- 8 cups water
- 4-6 tbsp cream
For garnish:
- parsley fresh, chopped
- chives fresh, chopped
Place cubed potatoes and sliced leeks in a 6 to 8-quart saucepan. Add salt and water.
Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a brisk simmer. Partially cover the pan and let simmer for 50 minutes.
Purée the soup (food processor, blender, immersion blender, or food mill) and return to the saucepan. (You can make it ahead of time to this point.)
Stir in the cream 1 tablespoon at a time, and reheat.
Serve garnished with chopped parsley or chives.
Three cups of potatoes (about one pound) yields a leek-forward soup, while four cups allow the potatoes to shine more.
Keyword Leeks, Potatoes, Soup, Soups
More Potato Recipes to Try
Provencal Tomatoes and Potatoes Gratin
Easy side dishes to accompany roasted meats or fish or even just a green salad
Check out this recipe
Provencal Baked Potatoes
This potato recipe is an easy side dish that you can serve with meat or fish. It can easily be prepared in advance.
Check out this recipe
Please share this with friends and family.
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David Scott Allen
David Scott Allen is the author, photographer, and cook behind Cocoa & Lavender, a weekly food blog based in Tucson, Arizona. Passionate about travel, he especially enjoys eating traditional foods and learning local customs, whether in the United States or around the globe.
David's first trip to France took place when he was 14, and he returned as often as possible thereafter. However, it wasn't until his 50th birthday that he finally made it south to Provence. The beauty, history, charm, warmth, cuisine, and - of course - the rosé wines captured his heart. He shares his Provençal recipes here on Perfectly Provence, and his food and wine pairings monthly on the Provence WineZine.
David is a firm believer that sharing a meal with friends around the table is one of life's greatest pleasures. And if it happens to be in Provence, all the better!
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