Ingredients
| 400g baking or floury potatoes, washed (Agria or Ilam Hardy) | |
| 75g unsalted butter | |
| 3 leeks, trimmed, rinsed, roughly chopped | |
| 1 bay leaf | |
| 125ml dry white wine | |
| 1 litre chicken or vegetable stock, or water | |
| 24 oysters, shucked (I used Te Kouma Bay rock oysters) | |
| 4 tablespoons crème fraîche | |
| chive oil, to serve | |
| FOR THE CHIVE OIL | |
| 100g chives | |
| 200ml grapeseed oil |
In a perfect world the oysters should be freshly shucked and their liquor added to the soup for a boost of flavour. Serve with a crusty baguette or some buttered dark rye bread.
Instructions
| 1. | Set the oven to 200 ÌŠC. |
| 2. | Wash any mud from the spuds and scrub them. |
| 3. | Prick in a couple of places with a fork (this is important as you don’t want them to explode in the oven). |
| 4. | Roll each potato in salt then place on the middle rack of the oven. |
| 5. | Cook for about an hour then give them a squeeze – the potato should just give to a little pressure from thumb and forefinger. Allow to cool slightly. |
| 6. | Melt the butter in a deep saucepan over a gentle heat. |
| 7. | Add the leeks and cook slowly with a generous pinch of salt until soft, but try not to colour the leeks. Add the bay leaf. |
| 8. | Cut the potatoes into chunks, including the skin, and add to the leeks. |
| 9. | Add the white wine and simmer until it has just about evaporated. Stir together for about 2 minutes then add the stock or water. |
| 10. | Bring to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes. Allow to cool then purée in a blender until smooth. |
| 11. | Strain the soup through a fine sieve. Rinse the blender and return the strained soup to it. |
| 12. | Add the oysters and any oyster liquor you may have and season with salt and pepper. |
| 13. | Purée using the pulse button so that you still have small pieces of oysters – you don’t want the soup super-smooth. Allow the soup to cool then refrigerate. |
| 14. | Serve chilled in soup bowls, drizzled with chive oil and a dollop of crème fraîche. |
| 15. | CHIVE OIL |
| 16. | Bring a pot of salted water to the boil and have a bowl of iced water ready. |
| 17. | Blanch the chives until tender, about 2 minutes, then drain and chill in the iced water. Squeeze dry. |
| 18. | Put all the ingredients into a blender and blitz for 8 minutes, until the oil is very green. |
| 19. | Pour the oil into a small saucepan and simmer until it stops bubbling, to remove any water. |
| 20. | Strain through a muslin cloth set over a bowl and place in the fridge overnight. |
Food and recipe styling Martin Bosley / Photography Amber-Jayne Bain