Trim the dark green tops from the leeks- the light green stuff is fine- chop into half inch pieces and wash is a large bowl of cool water.
Melt the butter in a large sauce pot, add the washed leeks- it's ok if they;re still a little wet- and cook until very tender, but not browned (6-8 minutes on medium high heat). Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more.
Cut the potatoes into 1 inch pieces. If you're using yukon gold, they don't have to be peeled before chopping- but you can. Add the potatoes to the pot along with the broth or water and bring to a simmer
Simmer until the potatoes are very tender. Remove one potato from the pot, place it on a cutting board and press it with the back of a spoon. If it is easily crushed the soup is ready to be pureed.
Transfer the soup to a blender and process until smooth. Return the pureed soup to the pot by pouring it through a fine mesh strainer and whisk in the heavy cream. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
**To make cream of tomato soup: cut two beef steak tomatoes in half and roast in the oven at 300˚ for 1 hour (they should dry and shrivel a bit). Puree the tomatoes with two cups of the potato-leek soup.
**To make cream of broccoli soup, puree 2 cups potato-leek soup with 2 cups blanched broccoli florets.
Recipe by The Couple's Kitchen at https://thecoupleskitchen.com/back-to-basics-soups-on/