Authentic French Cream Potato Soup For Your Next Dinner Party

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.

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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

Servings 6 people

Equipment

• vegetable peeler
• chef's knife (8-inch)
• cutting board set, bamboo
• stockpot with lid (8-quart)
• immersion blender or food processor, blender, or food mill

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

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

Instructions

 

• 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.

Notes

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

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