Vichyssoise Pasta

My project this summer has been to experiment with pasta sauces, and I haven’t had a really satisfactory result… until today! Tonight I made a sauce loosely based on vichyssoise, or chilled potato-and-leek soup.  I actually prefer the hot version of the soup, which is sort of heretical, I guess.  Does that disqualify it from being called “vichyssoise”?  Does it matter?  Culinary conventions tend to be somewhat strict, but you know what?  FUCK YOU, BITCHES, THIS IS VICHYSSOISE PASTA!!!

I was really surprised by how well this turned out, for being a completely ad-libbed dish.  I’m sure that the quality of the dish owed a lot to the ingredients, though: the leeks and pasta were organic and I grabbed the French fingerling potatoes from the Union Square farmers’ market just a few hours before.  Or maybe I’m just that good?  (Yeah okay.)  I guess you don’t actually have to use fingerling potatoes for this recipe, but I really liked the way the slices looked in the sauce.  Maybe I miss hotdog Spaghetti-Os, or this is some backward Freudian thing where slicing fingerling potatoes makes me feel empowered.

I had this with a glass of 2007 Paumanok Riesling, and subsequently broke the wineglass in the sink.  (Sorry mom!!!)

Vichyssoise Pasta

• olive oil
• butter
• leeks, sliced
• fingerling potatoes, sliced
• heavy cream
• chicken stock
• salt and pepper, to taste
• linguini (I think it looks really nice, is all.)
• shaved Parmesan, to garnish
• shredded parsley, to garnish

1. Throw the olive oil and butter into a small sauce pot over medium heat.  Once it gets going, throw the potatoes in and let them sit for a few minutes.  Once they’re about halfway there, toss in the leeks and stir the whole thing around a little.

2. Start the water for the pasta now!  (Don’t forget the salt!)  Once the leeks and potatoes are tender, pour in some heavy cream and chicken stock.  Season it with lots of salt and pepper and let it all reduce for a bit, until you get the thickness you want.

3. Cook the pasta, and toss it with the sauce.  Throw the parsley and Parmesan on top, and eat that shit!