Potato, Leek and Cauliflower Soup

I have made Potato Leek soup many times and we adore it. I had a head of cauliflower that needed to be eaten and decided to add it to the soup and see how it tasted. It was really amazing, the texture and tastes really went well together, and it is fairly easy to make. Roasting the Cauliflower first really brings out the flavor. p.s. posts may be short this week, I really tweaked my back@

· 1 head Cauliflower, cut into florets
· 8 cups of Chicken stock, homemade if you have it
· 2 Leeks, white and light green parts only, sliced and rinsed very well
· 4 smallish Potato’s peeled and cut into quarters
· 1 cup Buttermilk
· 1/4 cube of Butter
· 2 tsp salt
· Black pepper to taste

**I also added 1 cup of Cheddar Cheese and 6 Turkey Bacon slices diced at the very end**

Melt the butter in a Dutch Oven over meduim heat. Add the leeks and a heavy pinch of salt and sweat for 5 minutes. Decrease the heat to medium-low and cook until the leeks are tender, approximately 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.

In the meantime, place your cauliflower florets on a baking sheet and toss with a bit of salt, pepper and olive oil. Roast them at 400 degrees for about 15 minutes, remove and set aside to cool

Add the potatoes and the broth and increase the heat to medium-high, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and gently simmer until the potatoes are almost done, (test after 15 minutes) then add in the cauliflower florets and cook an additional 10 minutes.

Turn off the heat and puree the mixture with an immersion blender until smooth. Stir in the Buttermilk and pepper. Taste and adjust seasoning if desired. (if you don't have an immersion blender, you can carefully put into a regular blender and whir it, you may need to do it in batches)

Sprinkle with Chives or reserved Leeks and serve immediately.

**Note, you can add cheese to this as well, and leftovers keep very well**