Lovage and Potato Soup

From the garden

• ½ cup fresh lovage leaves, chopped, a few small leaves reserved
• 1½ lb potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 1 onion, chopped

From the pantry

• 2 tbsp butter
• 4 cups vegetable stock
• ½ cup heavy cream
• crusty bread, for serving (optional)
• salt · to taste
• black pepper

1. Melt the butter in a soup pot over medium heat and cook the onion with a pinch of salt 5–6 minutes, until soft and translucent without browning.
2. Add the potatoes and stock, bring to a simmer, and cook about 15 minutes until the potatoes mash easily against the side of the pot.
3. Stir in the chopped lovage and simmer 3–4 minutes more, just long enough to soften the leaves while their celery-like perfume stays bright. Long boiling dulls it.
4. Blend until smooth (an immersion blender in the pot is easiest; in a jar blender, work in batches and vent the lid). Stir in the cream and warm through without boiling.
5. Season well with salt and black pepper, ladle into bowls, and finish with the reserved small lovage leaves and bread for dunking.