Who loves Potato-Leek Soup? Or sautéd leeks atop a salad? I know I do..but prepping a leek for the first time can seem a bit daunting. Not as daunting as, say, a yuca…but you may not even purchase it in the store out of fear of the unknown. So lets introduce ourselves to the leek! It serves the same role as an onion, but with such different flavors – you know, how a red onion doesn’t taste like a yellow onion..a leek doesn’t taste exactly like a yellow or white onion either. But it is onion-like, in fact..an onion family member. The edible portions of a leek is the white and light green stalk. The trouble with leeks is that they are so unbearable dirty on the inside. You must wash each layer, hence the daunting nature of their prep. Well, no more…here’s where you’ll see just how easy it is to prepare them – just in time for Autumn so you can start adding them to soups and veggie medleys!
Step 1: Chop off the top and bottom of the leek.
Step 2: Slice in half, lengthwise.
Step 3: Rinse, Rinse, Rinse! Obviously this works better with two hands, but one of my hands had to hold the camera 
…I really should get an assistant, hmm… The key in this step is to get all the dirt from between each little layer, so you’ll have to work it… Yes, there is dirt in each layer, and it’s no fun eating dirt! So don’t rush through this step, be thorough!
Step 4: Chop, mince, whatever the recipe calls for…
Enjoy in dishes like Potato-Leek Soup, Veggie Soup, Jo’s Scape Bake, or saute in place of (or in addition to) onions in just about any dish you like!
Happy Chopping (and Rinsing)!
On This Day In History: Tortilla de Harina (homemade flour tortillas)
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Loved this post, since I love leeks and I will try your cleaning method, since mine always takes forever. One question though, is there anything at all you can do with the top part, the dark green? I always feel so bad throwing it out when it feels like it is half the leek…. Do you have any good potato leek recipes maybe? I know there are tons of them on the internets, but since I trust your cooking I thought I’d ask! Have a wonderful weekend Sara!!!!
I meant to say “potato leek soup recipes”
I do, in fact, have an excellent potato leek soup recipe, Christina! I can get that to you – or even post it – in the next week (I need groceries and tomorrow is the farmers market) …I’ll have to type it up, since I mostly make it on the fly and never write anything down
Yeah, I don’t know of anything that you can use the tops for… You could use it in a compost, if you compost things like carrot tops and discards from other veg, for your garden. If anybody has any ideas, let us know!
Oh great, can’t wait for that recipe. It is just getting to that time of the year for soup here, so that will be great! Maybe I need to adopt a bunny to take care of the leek leftovers?
I wish I had found Jo’s Scape Bake a few months back when I was trying out my first scapes ever… but that dish looks delicious…
I went searching on the web for what to do with leek tops, and the consensus seems to be using it in a stock.
[...] Leeks: Step-by-Step [...]
Hey Sara,
This is a truly terrific time-saver! (I love aliteration!) The way I clean my leeks involves cutting them into rings and then poking the centers out and washing and then fitting them all back together…which is a real pain. This is SOOOOOOOOOO much easier – thank you, thank you!
Amanda
Um, I just cooked potato leek soup last night for my work pot luck today for lunch. I used the DARK GREEN part of the leek. It smelled really good, and it tasted fine. What’s so wrong with the dark green part?
Hey Chadwick, welcome to the Primate! Nothing per se, is wrong with the dark green part…it just tends to be tougher/more fibrous than the lighter portion of the leek. Because of it’s texture it’s mostly used in making broths, or for decorative touches to dishes. But if you like the texture, go for it!