Flying Without a Net: Potato and Leek Soup

I had been thinking about making potato soup for a few weeks and today seemed to be the perfect day for it. It's snowy and cold outside.

A lot of the time, I work from recipes with tweaks here and there. For instance, I take a basic chili recipe and add a little Cinnamon and a roasted Anaheim or Poblano pepper. Today, I cooked completely without a net -- no recipe.

I'm pretty happy with my results today, aside from wanting to crank down the salt a little bit. Jim ran out to get some chicken broth for me, as I didn't think I had enough homemade stock. So, he came back with "full salt" broth, but I made do.

Amanda's Potato and Leek Soup

Ingredients:
(measurements are approximate)
3 pieces of center cut bacon
1 1/2 cups thinly sliced leeks
1 1/2 cups diced celery

2 bay leaves
3 or 4 cups of low salt chicken broth or homemade stock
2 cups whole milk
2 cups cubed potatoes

1. Cook bacon until crispy in dutch oven over medium heat.
2. Remove bacon and pour off all but a tablespoon of drippings.
3. Add a tablespoon or so of butter
4. Saute leeks and celery over medium high heat for 3-5 minutes
5. Add bay leaves and chicken broth/stock and bring to a simmer
6. Add potatoes
7. When potatoes are almost cooked, add milk and simmer until slightly thickened