Watercress Soup

Good morning! I hope you all are ready for us to knock your epicurean socks off, because this soup is ridiculously good. The watercress shines in this recipe; its peppery, fresh flavor is highlighted by the lemon juice, and substantiated by the potatoes and leeks. You can blend it or choose not to, you can serve it hot or cold, and you can top it with all sorts of goodies. I first tried cooking it at Jordy's family's house in NH this summer, and while folks were a little skeptical at first (not everyone is super stoked about watercress, I guess), everyone ended up cleaning their bowls. Last night, I made this and chose to only blend it a little and serve it hot with a hot, crusty loaf of bread (since it was super cold here yesterday). It was just as good, if not better. I served Jordy's with a poached egg floated on top, and he loved it. If you can't find watercress where you are, you can always use arugula. High quality, fresh produce is paramount here, since you are really highlighting one flavor.

Ingredients:
1T butter
1T olive oil
2 bunches watercress, (about 3-4 cups) washed & lightly chopped
2 medium leeks, white parts only, split lengthwise and sliced thinly
2 russet potatoes, peeled and diced
32oz vegetable broth
32oz water
1T salt
1/4 c lemon juice

Directions:
In large pot (soup-sized pot, not a saucepan), melt butter and add olive oil. Sautee leeks until semi-transparent, about 4-5 minutes, and then add potatoes and salt. Sautee for another 3 minutes or so, just until the potatoes are starting to soften, then add vegetable broth and water. Bring to a boil, and boil until the potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes. Add the watercress, and continue to boil for 1-2 minutes, until it has softened. Add lemon juice.

From here, it's your choice what to do. Chill it or leave it hot, blend it or leave it chunky, top it or eat it plain.

Optional toppings:
-chopped hard boiled eggs
-a float of high-quality flavorful olive oil
-creme fraiche
-rustic croutons (roughly tear up about 2c worth of bread, toss with 2T olive oil & salt & pepper, bake @400 for 15 mins)
-a dollop of yogurt
-fresh watercress

Enjoy!