Leek and Purple Potato Soup

Sara came home from the Somerville Winter Farmers Market last Saturday with leeks, purple potatoes, and a vision: leek and purple potato soup.

Jack and I went to the kitchen on Wednesday, and found leeks and purple potatoes ... and not much else. (Have we mentioned that we're moving on Saturday? C'mon by if you'd like to carry some boxes.) So we went to Epicurious for a leek and potato soup recipe and picked the one with the fewest ingredients (butter, leeks, potatoes, broth).

We didn't actually keep it that simple, of course, adding to the pot the onions, garlic, tarragon, and thyme suggested by the commenters, and then, at the table, to individual taste, black pepper, grated parmesan, and hot sauce.

(Is anyone else intrigued by the leek and oatmeal soup mentioned in the recipe headnote? I mean, there's a nothing-in-the-refrigerator recipe I could learn to love.)

The soup was tasty and uncomplicated for a snowy evening. (Though sadly not purple.) And leftover bowls fueled today's afternoon shoveling. (Did I mention we have two driveways to keep cleared for moving trucks? For the out-of-town readers, Boston hasn't quite had a Shaq of snow yet, but with sixty inches fallen so far, we're well ahead of average.)

P.S. I'm shocked and sad to hear that personal culinary hero Mark Bittman is retiring from the Minimalist column, but we'll look forward to seeing him in the opinon section where, as Jack puts it, "'eat less meat and tastier food without spending too much time or money' is a cool opinion to spread."