French Vegetable Potage
With a combination of puréed vegetables mixed with heavy cream, this soup is impossibly creamy.
Serves8
Makesabout 3 quarts
Prep10 minutes
Cook45 minutes
Pronounced poh-taazh, potage is a fancy term for a thick and comforting soup cooked in a pot. Typically, it also infers that the soup is made of vegetables and is puréed until smooth. Like many French dishes, it originates from peasants and farmers who were using the ingredients they had available — in this case, any mix of vegetables. Potage is often enriched at the end with some kind of dairy. Here it’s heavy cream, but you could use crème fraîche or mascarpone, or simply leave the dairy out.
Why You’ll Love It
- You could use almost any kind of vegetable. We like using mostly root vegetables here, which gives the soup a wonderful, thick texture.
- It’s incredibly easy to make. Simply simmer the soup until the vegetables are soft, add some heavy cream, then blend it all together until smooth.
What Kind of Vegetables Go into a Potage?
The options below are the types of vegetables that are available in the colder months, making this an ideal soup for a chilly day.
- Carrots
- Parsnips
- Potatoes
- Sunchokes
- Sweet potatoes
- Rutabaga
- Celery root
- Beets (they would take the soup in a beautiful color direction!)
Key Ingredients in Potage
- Aromatics: Leeks, onions, garlic, and fresh rosemary or thyme are cooked together to create the flavorful base of the soup.
- Root vegetables: Use a mix of root vegetables, such as carrots, parsnips, sweet potatoes, Yukon gold potatoes, or celery root.
- Dry white wine (optional): Deglaze the aromatics with dry white wine, if using.
- Low-sodium chicken broth: You could also use water (or a combination of the two).
- Heavy cream: The soup is enriched with heavy cream before blending.
How to Make Potage
- Cook the aromatics. Cook the leeks, onions, garlic, and fresh rosemary or thyme in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until soft and starting to brown at the edges.
- Deglaze, then add the root vegetables and broth. Deglaze with dry white wine (if using), scraping any bits that have stuck to the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Add the root vegetables, kosher salt, black pepper, and chicken broth or water (or a combination of the two). Stir to combine.
- Bring to a simmer. Then cover and simmer until the vegetables are very soft.
- Add heavy cream and blend. Remove from the heat, then discard rosemary or thyme sprigs. Add the heavy cream and blend the soup until very smooth with an immersion blender or regular blender.
Helpful Swaps
- Croutons: This recipe calls for topping the potage with croutons. An easy way to make your own croutons is by tearing up a slice of bread like a sourdough (stale is fine!) and frying them in some oil in a small pan until they are golden-brown.
- Other garnishes: If you have any extra herbs like chives, parsley or dill, use them as a final garnish.
Make-Ahead and Storage Tips
- Make ahead: This is a great soup to make the day before and reheat. The flavors get even better with time.
- Storage: You can store the soup in an airtight container, or covered in the pot it’s cooked in, in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Alternatively, freeze in an airtight container for up to 1 month.
What to Serve with Potage
Potage Recipe
With a combination of puréed vegetables mixed with heavy cream, this soup is impossibly creamy.
Prep time 10 minutes
Cook time 45 minutes
Makes about 3 quarts
Serves 8
Nutritional Info
Ingredients
- 2
medium leeks (white and light green parts)
- 1
medium yellow onion
- 4 cloves
garlic
- 2 tablespoons
unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons
olive oil
- 2 sprigs
fresh rosemary or thyme
- 3 pounds
mix of root vegetables, such as carrots, parsnips, sweet potatoes, Yukon gold potatoes, or celery root
- 1/2 cup
dry white wine (optional)
- 6 cups
low-sodium chicken broth, water, or combination
- 1 tablespoon
kosher salt, plus more as needed
- 1/2 teaspoon
freshly ground black pepper
- 1 cup
heavy cream
Croutons, for serving
Instructions
Cut 2 medium leeks in half lengthwise and run them under water, allowing water to pass through each layer and wash away any sand. Shake dry and coarsely chop the white and light green parts (discard the rest). Coarsely chop 1 medium yellow onion and 4 garlic cloves.
Heat 2 tablespoons unsalted butter and 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the leeks, onions, garlic and 2 sprigs fresh rosemary or thyme. Stir to combine and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and starting to brown at the edges, about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, peel and coarsely chop 3 pounds root vegetables.
Add 1/2 cup dry white wine, if using, to the Dutch oven. Scrape any bits that have stuck to the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Add the root vegetables, 1 tablespoon kosher salt, and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper. Add 6 cups chicken broth, water, or a combination, and stir to combine.
Bring to a simmer. Cover and simmer until the vegetables are very soft, about 30 minutes.
Remove from the heat. Remove and discard rosemary or thyme sprigs. Add 1 cup heavy cream. Use an immersion blender to blend the soup until very smooth. Alternatively, blend soup in batches in a blender. Taste and season with more kosher salt as needed. If the soup is too thick, thin out with water.
Ladle into soup bowls and top with croutons and a little extra black pepper.
Recipe Notes
Make ahead: This is a great soup to make the day before and reheat. The flavors get even better with time.
Storage: You can store the soup in an airtight container, or covered in the pot it’s cooked in, in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Alternatively, freeze in an airtight container for up to 1 month.