Leek and Potato Soup with Pork Scrunchions

My family and I travelled to the northern peninsula of Newfoundland this summer and had a great adventure.  I made a point of trying as many traditional Newfoundland dishes as possible and since we rented a cabin with a kitchen I tried my hand at quite a few recipes as well.

Pork Scrunchions are diced salt pork fried until the fat has rendered out. Newfies use them as a garnish on dishes like Fish and Brewies.  I had some salt pork in the fridge and I decided to use them on a soup that's pretty traditional in my family.  Locally we have a plant which we call wild leeks but is officially called allium tricoccum.  In the spring we harvest a few bulbs and make leek and potato soup.  You can substitute domestic leeks but the wild leeks make for a better soup.  The recipe below uses domestic leeks.

Ingredients

2-3 tbsp melted butter
3 leeks, white parts diced
2-3 large potatoes cut into 1/2" cubes
4-5 cups of low salt chicken stock
1-2 cups of cream
1/2 package of salt pork cut into 1/4" cubes

Melt the butter in a sauce pan and saute the leeks until softened.  Add the chicken stock and potatoes and bring to a simmer.  Simmer until the potatoes are tender, in the mean time fry the salt pork until golden brown drain and place on a paper towel.  When the potatoes are tender puree the soup or use a potato masher.  I prefer the coarser texture produced by the potato masher.  Stir in the cream and serve.  Garnish each bowl with 6-10 pieces of the salt pork.