• Make-Ahead
• Staff Favorite

Ingredients

1. 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
2. 4 medium shallots, coarsely chopped
3. 4 celery ribs, coarsely chopped
4. 1 large leek, white and tender green parts only, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
5. 1 1/4 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch dice
6. 1/4 cup dry white wine
7. 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
8. 4 1/4 cups water
9. Bouquet garni, made with 1 thyme sprig, 1 tarragon sprig and 1 bay leaf, tied with kitchen string
10. 1/2 cup heavy cream
11. 10 ounces nettles or spinach or 1 bunch (5 ounces) flat-leaf parsley and 1 bunch (4 ounces) sorrel, stems and tough ribs removed
12. Salt and freshly ground white pepper

Directions

1. Melt 4 tablespoons of the butter in a large, heavy saucepan. Add the shallots, celery, leek and potatoes, cover and cook over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 8 minutes. Add the wine and lemon juice and cook over high heat until evaporated. Add 4 cups of the water and the bouquet garni and bring to a simmer. Cover and cook over moderately low heat until the vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes. Discard the bouquet garni.
2. Working in batches, puree the soup in a blender or food processor until smooth. Strain the soup into a clean saucepan through a fine sieve. Stir in the heavy cream.
3. Bring a medium saucepan of salted water to a boil. Add the nettles and cook just until wilted. Drain the nettles and immediately plunge them into a medium bowl of ice water. Transfer the nettles to the blender or food processor and puree them with the remaining 1/4 cup of water. Strain the nettle puree into the soup and season with salt and white pepper. Bring the soup to a simmer over low heat, stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter until melted and serve the soup right away.

Make Ahead

The soup can be refrigerated for 2 days.