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Vichyssoise & Grilled Cheese | Recipeish | Gustus Vitae

  • Yield: Serves 4.
  • Time Estimate: 2 hours, including 1 hour unattended.
  • Storage Notes: Will keep for 2 days, covered and refrigerated.
  • Difficulty: Easy.

Vichyssoise is one of our favorite soups, and like revenge, this is a dish best served cold. Deceptively simple, the pairing of creamy potatoes and mild, onion-ish leeks combine to create a deeply savory and satisfying dish, one that pairs especially well with a simple grilled cheese. This recipe makes a bit extra: after a decadent lunch, we always find ourselves craving just a bit more the next day too.

Ingredients

For the Vichyssoise

For the Grilled Cheese

  • 8 Slices white bread
  • 8 Slices American Cheese
  • 1 Tbs duck fat
  • 4-6 Tbs Mayonnaise
    Directions
    • Preheat oven to 300F.
    • Rinse leeks, discarding any rough outer leaves and the hairy bottom. Finely chop, and reserve.
    • Peel and rinse potatoes, dice into cubes around 1" x 1", and reserve.
    • Mince garlic and onions, and reserve.
    • Bring a dutch oven up to medium high heat, and melt duck fat.
    • Add onions, garlic, and French Onion Seasoning, and cook until onions become translucent - around 5 minutes.
    • Add leeks and cook a further 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
    • Pour in vegetable stock and deglaze, scraping up any fond stuck on the bottom of the dutch oven. 
    • Bring to a boil and add potatoes, before reducing to a simmer.
    • Cook for around 15 minutes, or until potatoes are fork tender, then add Taste of Bordeaux, Taste of Provence, and Crushed Red Pepper Flakes, stirring to combine.
    • Pour in cream, and use an immersion blender to puree the soup, blending until there are no lumpy bits remaining.
    • Cover dutch oven, and pop in the oven, cooking for a further 30 minutes.
    • Remove from oven, and allow 15 minutes for it cool, before placing the dutch oven in the freezer for around 40 minutes to fully chill the soup.
    • At around the 30 minute mark, bring a large cast iron pan up to medium heat, and melt duck fat.
    • Spread mayo evenly on the outside of the bread, and make 4 sandwiches.
    • Cook in batches, around 3 minutes per side, with the a lid over the cast iron.
    • Ladle out the soup, slice the grilled cheese in half, serve, and devour.